Here Kitty Kitty
by SasuNaruforeva
Summary: Ichigo, a tiger hybrid, and Grimmjow, a panther hybrid, are the best of friends as cubs but things happen and Ichi doesn't see his best friend 'til years later. Will they still be able to be friends, or has too much changed? sorta like lionking2 Grimmichi
1. Prologue: Carefree cubs

UHH~… Just so you guys know, the larger animals here are Hybrids (Half animal half human), but the smaller animals, like birds and monkeys and stuff are going to be full animals, okay? Okay…

Warning: Loads of Fluff in the prologue~ xD And the rating WILL go up as the story progresses xD

* * *

**Here Kitty Kitty~**

::Prologue::

_"Oi! Qui' it!" Said a young tiger cub as he batted his small, clawed hand at his attacker. _

_"Mmmm… No~" His attacker chortled with a smirk as he once again grabbed the bright orange tail that was just _begging_ to be tugged at. The poor orange kit mewled pathetically as he tried to escape the panther cub's playful antics. _

_"Leggo!" He hissed as he tried to pull himself free, but to no avail. Hissing in anger, he turned around quickly, only to pounce on the other and make them tumble to the grassy earth in a mess of fur. He hastily took his tiny mouth and bit down on the other kit's dark blue ear in retaliation, but the panther just refused to let go of his tail. Growling, he dug his canines into the sensitive ear stubbornly until his tail was finally released. _

_The two kits then became a blur of orange and blue as they rolled around in the dirt. They continued this until the blue one had the other pinned down, a victorious grin visible on his chibi face. _

_"Heh, heh. Yer not too bad, dandelion." He purred happily as he buried his face against the soft skin of the orange-haired kit's neck. He practically burst with glee when he felt the other's throat begin to vibrate with a purr as well. _

_"You're not so bad yourself, blueberry." The orange kit murmured back tiredly and then let out a cute yawn as he curled up into a ball. He slowly closed his auburn eyes while the blue kit curled up beside him, yawning as well. The panther's electric blue eyes watched his orange friend closely as he began to fall asleep._

_"'ey… Ichigo." He whispered and poked said cub's side before the tiger could fully fall asleep. The kit opened one eye lazily as he waited for his friend to continue. "We… We'll be friends fereva… right?" His voice sounded unsure, but hopeful, and the orange one almost laughed, but thought better of it when he saw the panther's watery blue eyes. _

_"Yeah, of course. Dun be stoopid, Grimmjow… We'll play again when we wake up, so go ta sleep… m'tired…" He answered and cuddled up next to the other, who wrapped around him protectively, their tails becoming intertwined._

_That was the last time Ichigo ever saw his friend, that is, until they were much older, but by then... it was too late to go back to the carefree friendship they had as cubs. _


	2. Chapter 1: The hunt

**Warning: Lots of Cussing, smutty-ness (No actual smut just yet though), and some gore. And I know the beginning is a little… uneventful, but I'm sure you'll like it after a little while.**

::**Chapter 1**::

"I don't see why we have to follow him… He's a big boy; I'm sure he can handle himself." A gruff voice complained as two felids sped through the dense forest, the millions of trees engulfing them as they ran deeper inside.

Their steps were silent, cautious, and they would've been completely unnoticeable if it weren't for a certain someone who couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Just be quiet, Renji! We were given a direct order by King Isshin to follow his son. I know Isshin may be a little… dopey, but we mustn't ignore his orders. Can't you understand how anxious he must be? This _is_ his only son's first hunting mission. Be a little sympathetic, would you!" A sleek black lynx retorted with a wave of her hand. Her redheaded partner snorted and sighed in exasperation.

"I _understand_ that. I'm just sayin'…" He shot back angrily but then clenched his teeth with a hiss. "Ya know he's gonna kill us if he finds out we followed him, right?" He began to quicken his step as he said this. He seemed somewhat nervous now, almost fearful of what would happen to them if Isshin's son were to really spot them.

"Why do you think that? We're only making sure he doesn't hurt himself, we—" She was cut off by her partner's growl.

"Exactly! He's not a helpless lil' kitten anymore, Rukia. Hell, he took down Kenpachi, a damn ferocious **wolf**! If he sees us, then he'll know that his father was the one who sent us, and he'll take that as a sign that we think he's too weak to go hunting on his own. Do ya realize how offended he'd be?" He explained to the small female that ran beside him. His sharp red eyes, however, never left the path of trees that zipped past them. His long crimson hair and tail whipped behind him as he gradually increased his speed, making his partner fall behind slightly.

Rukia's large midnight eyes spotted her partner's furry ears twitch nervously and she suppressed the urge to sigh.

He was right though, Ichigo would rip their throats out if he even caught a whiff of them.

She felt her own black ears bend back timidly at the thought.

"Stop."

Rukia slid to a halt just as Renji shot out his arm in front of her and stopped as well.

"What?" She asked as she looked around, her eyes wide and alert for anything suspicious, but she stopped when she saw her partner raise his head and sniff cautiously. She began to do the same, and almost cursed aloud when she smelt the slight tang of something she knew all too well.

Blood.

"C'mon." Renji ordered quietly as he stealthily clawed his way up a nearby tree. Rukia followed closely behind, and it didn't take long for them to weave their way through the pointy branches. They followed the scent until they made it to its source.

Both felines peeked out of the throng of leaves that blocked their way, only to widen their eyes and gasp at what they saw.

A once green field covered in blood.

Splotches of it.

_Everywhere_.

It was an unmistakable knell—a warning—that said that bad things were going to happen… and soon.

"You don't think…" Rukia started, transfixed, as she swept her eyes over the gory sight.

The once clean ground was drenched in crimson and there were small craters that littered the field, showing off brown, bare earth, instead of fresh green grass. There were even fresh chunks of meat thrown across the place, which told them two things: One, it showed that the killer had no respect for their prey, and two, judging by the fresh state of the scattered limbs, they had been here recently.

It definitely looked like something Ichigo was capable of… but…

"No… It has ta be **them**. It couldn't have been Ichigo." Renji snapped quickly, and he took one last long look at the gruesome scene with an insulted expression before turning and jumping off the branch, landing on the ground gracefully. "Damn, I lost his trail." He hissed in pure annoyance as he began sniffing at the air for that fruity scent that was uniquely Ichigo's. His crimson tail bristled in frustration when he couldn't detect it anywhere. Rukia landed on the soft earth beside him and let out a long, suffering sigh.

"Would you calm down, Renji? You're way too tense." She hummed sternly as she began to drag her partner forward.

"How can I be _calm_!? Those bastards are 'ere, and Ichigo's around somewhere. Who knows what'll happen if he gets caught by 'em!" He snarled while exposing his sharp canines, letting them glisten in what little sunlight that streamed through the leaves. He then snatched his arm away from Rukia's petite hands and began to sprint past her.

Rukia rolled her eyes and whispered, "And who was the one that said he could take care of himself?" Then she took off after him. '_Please don't get yourself in trouble… Ichigo.'_

However, unknown to them, Ichigo was **perfectly** fine.

He was currently ducked low behind a small bush, furry ears lying flat against his head and blending in nicely with the mess of orange he liked to call hair. The white tip of his striped tail twitched back and forth impatiently as he watched his newfound prey pace back and forth across the grass restlessly.

'_Come onnn'_ He hissed mentally as his impatience skyrocketed.

After a while, the unsuspecting buck finally sat down in the shade of a tree, a tired huff escaping his narrow maw. Ichigo was almost tempted to walk out and ask what the deer was waiting for, but quickly squashed that little bit of curiosity.

No use getting to know your dinner, right?

'_Damn it… I'm getting too used to having other animals as friends… I blame Yoruichi for that…'_

He slowly began to raise his haunches, his buttocks and tail swaying back and forth as he prepared himself to attack. His muscles were practically quivering with suppressed adrenaline, and that's when he let loose, quickly hurtling himself out of the bushes and straight at the startled buck.

Ichigo made quick work of killing his frozen prey by pouncing on its strong back and taking hold of its antlers to help snap the buck's thick neck. There was a soft, sickening 'pop' as the deer's head was practically ripped from its body, but it was a quick and painless death, which is just how Ichigo wanted it to be. He didn't want to make his prey suffer, because not only did it make the meat taste dull, but he would feel bad putting anything in pain. Torturing things just never sat right with him, and what use was it to hurt something that was going to help ease your hunger?

He even hated the thought of hurting enemies.

But don't get him wrong—if push came to shove, Ichigo wouldn't hesitate to kill, especially when it came to protecting his friends and family.

Sighing softly, he carefully stood up and dusted off his tight light-brown pants—most of the animals in his 'family' wore tight pants, seeing as loose ones just got in the way when you ran, and the males never really bothered to put on shirts, unlike the females who would complain about their bosoms showing—not that Matsumoto ever cared... Ichigo chuckled lightly as he slowly bent down to pick up his kill so he could lay it limply atop his shoulder.

"C'mon, let's get you home…" Ichigo whispered as he pushed his way through the bush and fern.

He casually made his way through the forest towards that dirt path that led to the Karakura pride-lands (Very unoriginal I know… xD).

His home. [(oh the cheesy-ness indeed xD)]

Letting a small smile slip onto his face, Ichigo looked up at the sky that was barely visible through the leaves.

'_Ah~ It's nice to finally be out here on my own. And now that I have this for dinner,' _Ichigo softly patted the dead buck's side that he was holding onto, '_I can prove to everyone that I'm not some little cub that needs to be taken care of anymore.'_ His smile grew bigger at this, but it automatically dropped when a familiar scent reached his sensitive nose. It smelt like the ocean breeze, but with a hint of blackberries.

'_Renji…'_ Ichigo growled viciously as said felid suddenly rushed out onto the dirt path in front of him.

"You had better not be doing what I think you're doing." Ichigo hissed as his tail whipped behind him in a sign of aggression, but he stopped walking and almost stumbled face-first to the dirt when he took in Renji's appearance. The crimson tiger's red hair was in disarray and he seemed out of breath, but what made Ichigo's eyes widen was the fact that there was a bloody gash running across the taller male's well-muscled chest, and there were bruises littered across his black-striped face. Even the redhead's favorite pair of tight pants was nothing but shredded rags that hung precariously on his hips. "What happe—" Ichigo was cut off by Renji's panicked wheezing.

"Ichigo… She—Rukia… taken… _Espada_... I couldn't…" That was all he was able to say through his labored breathing, but Ichigo understood him perfectly.

Acting quickly, and being the over-protective felid he was, he instantly dropped his kill, letting it fall to the dirt, and then bolted in the direction that the other tiger had come from. He didn't bother to ask if Renji would be okay, because Ichigo _knew_ that the redhead could survive from a little scratch like that—having personally given Renji several wounds and broken limbs before.

Using his nose, Ichigo swerved through the trees and towards Rukia's familiar scent that smelt slightly of a newly opened box of crayons—which isn't surprising since you can usually find her in her little den, doodling on the walls like some cavewoman.

Ichigo growled.

If she had really been taken by the Espada, then he couldn't waste any time.

The tiger silently urged his legs to move faster and he became nothing but a blur as he sped through the forest.

'_They're close!_'

The faint thudding of paw-steps could be heard in the distance and it was getting closer and closer, until Ichigo finally spotted the group of stampeding animals a few yards ahead of him.

'_Holy shit… is that a __**gorilla**__?'_

The tiger quickly shook his head to clear his jumbled thoughts then took note of how many animals were there before slowing down and crouching below the sea of bushes and tall grass so they couldn't see him.

'_There's way too many to fight at once… That Gorilla would be hard enough to handle on its own. Guess I'll have to take them out one by one.'_

With that in mind, Ichigo swiftly moved until he was right beside one of them, a golden-blonde female cougar. Just as she spotted him, Ichigo pounced and knocked her unconscious before she could make a noise.

Luckily none of the others noticed, and they continued running.

Ichigo gave chase and took down the cats slowly, one at a time, but there were still three of them left standing when they finally noticed his presence. The orange tiger was instantly circled, but his attention was solely on the Gorilla that was holding onto Rukia's unconscious body.

"Release her!" Ichigo snarled, his teeth bared threateningly and orange tail lashing back and forth. His stance was aggressive, but none of the other hybrids seemed to be intimidated.

"Hey Cuatro, looky here. It's a little kitty cat! Ya think the boss will be interested in 'im?" The huge ape said as he shifted Rukia carelessly in his big, fat arms. Ichigo hissed and his tail bristled in anger.

"Don't just fucking ignore me! Put her down you ball of brainless monkey fluff!" Ichigo snarled, but it only served to amuse them.

"I dun know if th' boss'll like 'im but I sure as hell would love a go at the feisty kitten."

Ichigo quickly turned and his eyes widened.

Standing in front of him was the tallest animal he'd ever seen, even taller than Kenpachi!

The tiger quickly took a few steps back and glared daggers at the taller cat—who, by the smell of him, could either be a Leopard or a Jaguar, but looking at the spotted tail, Ichigo could tell that he was a clouded leopard.

The orange tiger quickly took a look at the third cat, who seemed to be the current ring leader, judging by his silent and overbearing demeanor. He was a snow leopard, with emerald green eyes, which was quite a rare species to be found around these parts.

"Whatchya say, Cuatra. Can I 'ave 'im?" The tall one said to the 'ring leader' as he took a step towards the aggressive tiger.

Ichigo growled deep in his throat and raised a clawed hand in warning, but the leopard paid him no heed.

"Halt, Quinta Espada." The white feline replied in an emotionless voice, and the taller one immediately stopped. Ichigo lowered his hand slightly, but his eyes never left the clouded leopard's form. "Give him to Sexta." He said with a slight hint of amusement in his monotone voice.

"Ha! Yer right! Sexta would _love_ him. He always had a soft spot fer orange cats… Never knew why though." The stupid ape-man said with a loud boisterous laugh that seemed to shake the earth.

"Would you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here!!! And I'm not going to be 'given' to _anyone_! Just give me Rukia back and I won't have to hurt you." Ichigo snarled as he eyed each animal angrily.

"Ha! The kitten has a pretty big mouth, m'sure Sexta would like ta fix tha'." The tall leopard purred with a weird gleam in his narrow eyes… _eye_—Ichigo only just now noticed the eye patch that the leopard wore. Shaking his head, the tiger hissed and was about ready to pounce on the skinny felid, but he stopped when he smelt something.

It smelt of… jasmine and… blueberries?

'_Why the hell does that smell so familiar.'_

"Speak of the devil." The Cuatra said, not even blinking when a blue blur came stomping into the clearing.

"Where the _fuck_ 'ave ya guys been!? How hard is it to grab a fucking _kitty-pet_ and get your fat asses back!!? HUH!?" Came a gruff, harsh voice as the feline stalked closer. Ichigo felt every hair on his head and tail bristle as the intimidating feline drew closer. He had bright, sky-blue hair and hidden in the unruly hair were two dark blue—almost black—ears and a tail that was just as dark, swerved gracefully behind him. '_A panther… I didn't think there were anymore of those around after that one skirmish years ago…' _Ichigo thought as he continued to take in the large felid's appearance. He was tall, and— unlike Ichigo's slim body which was built for speed—his body was broad and definitely built for strength. Hard muscles rippled beneath his tan skin, and Ichigo felt somewhat… _nervous_ in his dominating presence.

"Yeah, yeah! We know! We _were_ on our way back, when this lil' pipsqueak decided ta knock out half our gang and demand the _kitty-pet_ back. And we were gonna bring 'im back for your ungrateful ass, but now I think I'll keep 'im all ta myself." The clouded leopard growled and then turned his attention back to the tiger.

"Didn't you hear me before asshole!!? I don't belong to anyone!! Fucktards!!" Ichigo yelled, losing his temper. But, again, it only amused the others. His dark auburn eyes tried glaring holes in their smirking faces.

"Keh. Wuh makes ya guys think I'd _want_ a whiny bitch like 'im?" The Panther said, a wide grin taking over his pompous face and his deep blue eyes glittered tauntingly.

"Well, your always sayin' that ya like a challenge. And I figured since he 'ad orange hair…"

"Yeah, I _do_ like a challenge. But tha' lil' pussy doesn't even look like he'cn throw a punch, le' alone put up a good fight." He scoffed and he stared at the small-ish tiger in a condescending way, all while completely ignoring the whole 'orange-hair' comment.

Ichigo had had enough, his temper was now off the charts, and he wanted to let out his frustrations on someone.

And the panther seemed like the perfect candidate for the job.

Ichigo spread his clawed fingers and leapt at the taller blue-haired hybrid with startling speed. The panther was caught off-guard at first but he quickly recovered and got in a defensive stance. Ichigo's claws dug into the panther's raised arms, ripping the flesh and splattering blood across the other's face. Ichigo then quickly released him just before he could counterattack.

Ichigo's tail lashed back and forth and his mouth hung open slightly, showing off sharp canines. The blue-haired felid hissed ferociously and began to circle his enemy slowly—almost tauntingly—while taking in every little detail.

That's when he finally smelt the other's fruity scent.

A sense of déjà vu overcame the panther, and he faltered in his step, which gave Ichigo just enough time to pounce.

"C'mon Sexta! Ya can do better than that!!" The gorilla cheered on, nearly loosing his grip on the small black lynx in his arms.

"Shuddup Decima. Let the guy pay attention to the damn fight!" The clouded leopard growled as he sat down on the grassy earth. The other leopard merely remained standing, his green eyes watching the fight very closely.

"Haha! Ya've got s'm nice moves, kit!" The panther laughed as he blocked a kick aimed at his head by grabbing Ichigo's slim ankle.

The tiger growled when he also noticed that the scratches on his opponent's arms had already stopped bleeding.

"What the hell are you made of!? Fucking **steel**!?" Ichigo growled in frustration before letting his hands fall to the floor behind him so he could push himself up and kick his other foot out, making it connect solidly with the Panther's gut.

The Sexta hissed in slight pain and released the tiger's ankle as he stumbled back.

"Fuckin' Dandelion." He grumbled while rubbing at his abused torso, which immediately stopped the orange felid's next attack.

"W…. What'd you just call me?" Ichigo whispered, auburn eyes growing wide. His bright hair wisped around his face gently, though his body remained motionless.

"I called ya dandelion. What of it?" The panther growled back, which made Ichigo snap out of his little trance.

"Don't fucking call me that!!" He yelled before starting his flurry of attacks once again, only with much more determination this time.

"I can call ya whatever the fuck I wan'! Dandelion!" The panther taunted as he dodged each attack.

"QUIT IT!"

"DANDELION!!"

"I said **stop it**!"

"Dan-Dee-Lie-Un!!"

"GRAHH!" Ichigo jumped in the air and landed atop the larger felid, making them tumble to the ground. They then became a mass of orange and blue fur as they rolled around in the grass, hissing and scratching at each other all the while.

Another wave of Déjà vu washed over the blue panther as he pinned the smaller cat to the ground and stared down at his struggling form.

"Why… Why the hell do ya seem so familiar?" He whispered to himself, just low enough so Ichigo couldn't hear him, which he probably wouldn't have been able to anyway, since the kid couldn't stop snarling. "Calm down would ya!" He growled as the tiger attempted to claw at his face, but he pinned the hands down by their skinny wrists just before they were able to touch him.

Ichigo arched his back and tried to twist his body away from his attacker but it was no use. He could only lay there and pant heavily, but that still wasn't enough to make him give up.

"Stupid fucking asshole! LEGGO!" Ichigo screamed as he kicked out helplessly, but the panther only pressed his body down on top of his to keep him still.

After a moment though, all of his wiggling seemed to pay off, because he somehow found enough room to squeeze his knees between their bodies. Ichigo quickly used the ground as leverage to help push his knees in the larger cat's stomach and propel him off.

'_freedom!'_ He thought as he turned on his stomach to push himself up, but his so called 'freedom' was short-lived, because just as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, the panther was back—and with a vengeance.

"Yer not gonna get away tha' easily, _dandelion_." He hissed mockingly in the tiger's striped ear, and he braced his arms beside the smaller felid's, while his knees were placed right between the other's, making them spread a little bit more. It was a rather salacious position, and it made Ichigo very, _very_ uncomfortable.

"G-get off!" He tried to throw his attacker off of him but he couldn't, and that dominating feeling was rolling off of the panther again, which made Ichigo cower slightly. His cat-like-instincts told him to just submit to this larger cat already, 'fold your ears down and lower your head!' it said, but Ichigo refused to do so.

After a few more moments of useless struggling from Ichigo, the Sexta growled in annoyance then bit down on the back of his captive's neck and he also began grinding his hips against the tiger's backside roughly, which was a rather forceful way to show dominance.

Ichigo yelped out at the feeling of sharp canines digging into the sensitive skin of his neck, and even though it wasn't hard enough to make him bleed, he was still forced to give in—seeing as that was the only thing he _could_ do now.

He hesitantly lowered his ears and tail, and he spread his legs a little wider in what he hoped was a sign of submission. He also bowed his head closer to the ground, which forced him to rest his weight on his forearms instead of his hands.

Never had he been forced to do this before and Ichigo felt the shame and humiliation of it all. It also didn't help that he could feel his attacker smirk triumphantly and begin to fucking _purr._

'_Well at least he stopped humping me…_' Ichigo thought, but was disappointed when he felt the panther's hips begin rubbing against him once again, though it was less aggressive and more… sensual… this time.

The tiger was about ready to start his yelling tirade again, but he snapped his mouth shut when he felt the purring cat flip him forcefully onto his back.

"oof!" A soft moan escaped Ichigo's lips when his naked back collided with the ground, and—still feeling the urge to surrender to this cat—he forced himself to tuck his hands under his chin and keep his ears folded back. He even curled his legs up and kept them spread, which exposed his vulnerable torso. The panther calmly hovered above him, his larger body keeping the tiger trapped, and even though Ichigo was surrendering, his irritation at being dominated like this could be seen by the way he scowled and twitched his orange tail occasionally.

"Heh, I take back what I said. Yer not as weak as I thought ya'd be, and ya look so cute, all curled up like a good lil' bitch." He hummed and then bent down to sniff at the side of Ichigo's neck, a satisfied purr still rumbling inside his chest. The tiger let a low, feral growl vibrate within his chest and his glare darkened when he felt a rough tongue lick at his pulse and the panther's blue hair tickled the side of his face lightly.

Ichigo quickly turned his head to the side to look around for a way to escape, which unknowingly gave the panther more room on his neck to lick and nip at. A blush slowly dusted his cheeks and he couldn't stop the weak mewl that escaped his lips when he felt his orange tail being tugged on playfully. What made him so angry was the fact that he was just being _toyed _with.

"Let me go." He growled, but his voice still sounded weak as he pawed at the larger cat's chest, hoping, _praying_, he would take the hint and get off, but the Sexta just ignored his plea in favor of licking the side of his face slowly. Ichigo let his gaze frantically roam across the field for any sort of help, and that's when his auburn eyes locked with Rukia's wide midnight blue eyes. She was still tucked in the stupid gorilla's large arms, but none of them seemed to have noticed that she was no longer unconscious. Ichigo immediately motioned towards the forest with his eyes, urging her to try and escape, and he tried to push aside the humiliation from being caught in the position he was in.

She seemed to catch what he was telling her, because next thing they knew, she lashed out her sharp claws at the gorilla's face, catching him across his eyes and nose. He let out a loud, ear splitting yowl and dropped the small feline to the ground. As soon as she landed, Rukia sped back into the safety of the trees, only sparing Ichigo a short nod before she disappeared.

Ichigo could only watch as the two leopards and the vengeful gorilla gave chase, leaving him alone with the perverted panther.

"Shouldn't you be helping your friends?" He grumbled, hoping he could somehow get free so he could help Rukia.

"Tch, those bastards can handle a lil' _kitty-pet_. I'm much more interested in a certain tiger tha' I 'ave trapped b'neath me." The panther smirked then dove back down to continue marking the poor tiger's neck.

"You fucktard! Get _off _me!" Ichigo was now resorting to cursing and whining. "You stupid, dumb, perverted, dick-headed, muscle-brained, rat-sucking, dog-sniffing, squirrel-humping, **blueberry**!" Ichigo threw a tantrum as he tried to shove the other off of him but he froze when he felt the strong body above him stiffen and even that sinful tongue of his had disappeared. "u-uhm..?" Ichigo folded his ears back nervously when the panther raised his head, electric blue eyes looking down at him, and his expression was completely blank, but Ichigo could tell that he was pissed.

"Wuh was tha' last thing ya called me?"

Ichigo stifled the urge to laugh.

'_out of all the things I had called him, he gets his tail in knot from being called __**blueberry**__?' _

"B-Blueberry." Ichigo answered hesitantly while averting his gaze.

After a few seconds of silence, Ichigo finally chanced a glance at the quiet panther, but his eyes widened slightly when he saw the expression on his face.

He seemed to have a far-off look, as if he was remembering something from a long time ago, which was a drastic change from the blank/angry look he had on before. Ichigo became curious as to what brought about this new side of the cat, but he squashed that little bit of curiosity in favor of trying to escape.

Rukia was out there somewhere, and she needed his help dammit!

"…Ichigo?"

Said tiger stopped trying to wriggle out from under the other felid and looked up in surprise.

"How the hell do you know my name?" He asked, flabbergasted, but as he looked up into those suddenly watery blue eyes, a name automatically fell from his lips, a name he never thought he'd be able to say again.

"Grimmjow?"

Said panther's face suddenly broke into a wide grin and he embraced the smaller cat tightly, their bodies pressed flush together.

"Is it seriously you?" Ichigo continued as he hugged the other back just as firmly.

"Sure is, dandelion." He answered back with a chuckle, but Ichigo didn't seem to mind the nickname, now that he knew it was Grimmjow who was saying it.

'_No.'_ The tiger's eyes widened in realization. '_I can't be doing this!'_

He quickly caught the panther off guard by pushing him off and then he stood up, his expression cold as he glared down at the blue cat.

"I… I've missed you, and… you have no idea how many endless nights I had searched for you, but… but now that I know you're an _Espada_." He spat the name out with so much venom, that it made Grimmjow flinch slightly, "I just… I can't be friends with you. It's just _wrong_…"

"Wait a sec, Ichigo! Listen ta wuh yer sayin'! Ya can't honestly say yer gonna jus' walk away now! We've finally found each other again! Doesn't tha' mean _anythin'_ to ya?" He growled as he stood up and grabbed the side of the tiger's shoulders firmly…yet gently at the same time.

Ichigo just averted his gaze to the ground and slowly shrugged off Grimmjow's large, warm hands.

"Of course it means something to me, don't be stupid… But can't you understand!? We're enemies! I mean, even your buddies are after Rukia now, and she's my friend! I should be out there saving her, not arguing with someone who never came to say goodbye to me before he left me alone for eleven years!! Eleven fucking years!" Ichigo yelled and he bolted towards the trees where his lynx friend had disappeared, but Grimmjow quickly pinned him back to the ground. "Please… Just let me go, Grimmjow…" Ichigo said, his voice sounded so weak and pathetic, and the panther was tempted to do what the orange kit asked, if only to wipe away that sad expression from his face, but he just swallowed his guilt and growled in frustration.

"...Grr… You… you—… Stupid, fuckin'… Ya know what!? FUCK YOU! Ya think I _wanted_ ta join the fuckin' espada!? FUCK NO! After my family was killed by yer fuckin' so called 'friends', I was _forced_ ta join Aizen so I could **survive**! Tha's how it was fer every one of us Espada! And its s'not like I jus' left 'nd never thought of you again. I thought abou' yer stupid bright orange hair almost every day! Ya think it was easy not seein' my best friend fer eleven years, knowin' tha' I couldn't even go see if he was still even _alive_!? NO! It wasn't!! But ya know what!? Screw you Ichigo! Hope ya live a long 'nd fuckin' _happy_ life with yer stupid friends!" The panther snarled as he pushed off the shocked tiger, only to hiss and storm away, not even sparing the other felid a glance. Ichigo quickly got up and was about to chase after his long lost friend, but stopped himself.

"What the hell am I thinking? I've lived without him for this long; I can live without him for a little longer. Rukia needs me right now…" He whispered to himself, and just before he disappeared into the other side of the clearing, he promised himself that he'd find Grimmjow again, and he'd help mend their broken friendship, even if it took another couple more years.


	3. Chapter 2: Friends

**Author's Note: Sorry guys, but no smexy time in this chapter, but maybe some kissing and touching~ I"LL NEVER TELL! But there's also a lot of important info in this chapter.... and it's really long... o wo;; sorry about that.  
**

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**Chapter 2**

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"Rukiaa!!" Ichigo called, his voice cracking slightly.

He had been calling his friend's name for hours, yet he couldn't even catch a whiff of her scentfromthe passing breeze, not even a small strand of her ink-black hair could be spotted anywhere.

"RUKIAAA!" He cried again as he raced through the tall grass of an open field. There were trees on all sides of him, but he knew that if he called her name out here in the open, then she could hear his voice even from miles away.

"Fuck… I hope she's okay…" He whispered to himself mournfully.

Just as he was about to begin searching in the dense part of the woods, he spotted a shadow making its way towards him. Recognizing the small shape and the sounds of quiet wings flapping in the breeze, he quickly looked up and spotted a familiar black hawk in the sky.

"BYAKUYA! HEY! DOWN HERE!" He shouted while waving his arms around wildly—but that was just to annoy the bird, since he knew it wasn't hard for a _hawk_ to spot his glaringly bright hair.

The hawk faltered in its flight and looked down at him in annoyance.

For a second there, Ichigo was afraid that Byakuya was going to just continue flying and ignore him, but the large bird surprised him by circling around smoothly. Then the elegant creature dove down until his sharp talons were nestled gently atop the tiger's mop of orange hair.

"What do you want, Ichigo? You're scaring all the prey away with your loud mouth." Byakuya reprimanded while pecking lightly at the felid's head with its hooked beak.

Ichigo ignored the pecking and pulled at his tail nervously.

"Byakuya, I'm sorry, but you have to hear me out. Rukia's being chased by these two leopards and this huge gorilla, and they're from the espada! I've been looking everywhere for her, but I can't find her. I'm starting to get really worried; you _have_ to help me find her!" Ichigo pleaded, which was a very rare sight, especially for Byakuya.

The hawk sighed and smoothed out his ruffled chest-feathers before replying, "She's fine. I saw her with Renji and the others back at Karakura not too long ago. However, they're all gathering search parties to look for you, so you'd better hurry up and get back home before your father has a heart attack." With that said, the stuck-up bird took off into the air once more, his long black feathers fluttering gracefully against the wind.

Ichigo growled a little before taking off in the direction of the dirt path—the same dirt path where Renji had found him when Rukia was first captured.

As he pushed his way through, he grumpily growled and hissed at random objects that got in his way before he finally emerged on the dirt road. He looked both ways before sighing and turning right, his ears and tail drooping a little, and he didn't even notice when he passed the empty space where the dead buck he had killed before used to be.

"I knew she would be okay… but I wasn't expecting her to be home already, safe and sound… I'm glad she's alright and all, but I was so worried that they like… _killed_ her or something. And everyone's probably flipping out because I'm not back yet. Damn… I'm never gonna be able to go hunting on my own again! And to think—I could've stayed with Grimmjow and talked to him for a little longer… How the hell am I supposed to find him now without going into the forbidden part of the forest?" He whined while kicking at the dirt with his bare feet.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice a certain someone racing towards him until he heard a loud voice squealing, "Ichi-hime![1]"

Said tiger looked up just in time to see a familiar pink blur zipping towards him. He immediately stopped walking and braced himself for the glomp that was to come.

"OOF~!" He huffed as he was knocked right off his feet.

"Ichi-himmeee! Where've you been!!? Kenny and I has been lookin' evewywhere fo' you!! Then we heard you was in twouble! We were so worried! Kenny looked like he was gonna keel someone!" The small pink pup yipped as she nuzzled into Ichigo's chest affectionately.

"It's okay Yachiru… I'm fine." He purred while petting the wolf cub soothingly. "So where's Kenpachi right now?" He asked, with a slight hint of fear, his tail twitching nervously as he sat up. Yachiru giggled slightly as she slid into his lap.

"Ohh… He's awound here somewhere…" She hummed while looking around. Ichigo lifted his nose to the air and opened his mouth slightly while folding his ears back in concentration[2], then he almost immediately cursed aloud when he smelt that horrid, sour odor that could only belong to Kenpachi.

"C'mon. Let's get going. Maybe we can beat Zaraki out, yeah?" Ichigo said while standing up and placing the pink wolf atop his shoulders.

"YAY! A race! Yachiru loves races! Go, set, ready!" She giggled while lightly grabbing onto the tiger's orange hair and kicking his chest, as if she was currently mounting a horse.

"Hold on tight." He warned with a light chuckle before sprinting forward on the dirt road. He could hear her light childish giggling grow louder as he ran faster and faster.

"You're almost as fast as Kenny! Heh heh!" She said while tugging at his unruly hair a little. Ichigo merely rolled his auburn eyes at that and smiled before picking up the pace, the wind and falling leaves whizzing past them.

He wasn't trying to show off or anything if that's what you were thinking~

It didn't take long before they got close to the end of the path where the trees began to blanch. Beyond the thinning trees were many acres of green plains that stretched as far as the eye could see.

It was the land that belonged to Ichigo's father.

Karakura Pride-lands.

"Okay Yachiru… This is where we part. Tell Kenpachi I said 'hi', okay?" He smiled before placing the pup to the ground.

"But I don't wan' Ichi-hime to leaveee! Kenny gets so happy when Ichi-hime is awound!" Yachiru protested with big watery eyes then she clung to his pant-leg. He sighed irritably at the hackneyed scene before him.

She never failed to give him the guilt-trip whenever he was about to leave.

Ichigo gently patted the pup's pink head and lightly scratched behind the white furry ears, which immediately got her to release his leg. She practically turned into a puddle of giggly-panting goo as he continued petting her. He chuckled and sprinted off into the grassy fields before she was able to latch onto him again.

Yachiru stayed and watched him leave with curious amber eyes.

Ichigo had to race across the desolate terrain and along small cliff sides that cut into the ground before he finally made it to the huge mountain known as 'Masaki'—his father had named the massive cliff-like rock after his deceased mother. (It sort of looks like 'pride rock' from 'Lion King'.) Ichigo quickly shook away thoughts of his mother before continuing forward.

The mountain was practically hollow inside and resembled something along the lines of a termite hill, with its many tunnels and den-like rooms. No one knew how the tunnels and dens were made, but, honestly, no one really cared, as long as they could sleep comfortably in them.

Of course there weren't any doorways or anything, so everyone had to pitch in and take different shifts in guarding the entrance—in case of an attack.

Guarding the front entryway right now were Shuuhei, a dark haired jaguar, and Yoruichi, a lithe, purple-haired cheetah.

They immediately recognized the orange tiger as he began climbing up towards them on the rocky pathway.

"Ichigo! It's about time you got your ass back here. King Isshin is going ballistic in there, and we already sent a few groups to go search for you." Yoruichi called and she chuckled when the grumpy tiger finally stopped right in front of them, looking rather disheveled.

"Sorry I'm late you guys… Is it really that bad in there? And is Rukia okay?" He said, only slightly out of breath from his journey back.

"You should go see for yourself." Shuuhei said while flicking his long black tail towards the gaping entrance. Ichigo let out a long sigh before making his way in.

Once he was fully inside, he had to let himself adjust to the darkness—which didn't take long—and as soon as he could see the enormous room, he immediately made his way towards the small circle of cats that were currently blocking the way to his own den, which was right next to Rukia's.

They were all whispering amongst each other and he could tell that it was about something important from the way their tails twitched urgently.

Standing in the middle of the circle was Hitsugaya, a small white lynx with ice-blue eyes. He was probably trying to think of which cats he should send for search parties, seeing as he's the type to always keep everyone organized during a crisis.

Standing around him was:

Matsumoto, a frisky strawberry-blonde Puma who loved flirting with the other cats. It was almost like she was in constant heat or something… And Ichigo wondered how she wasn't pregnant yet.

Kira, a quiescent blonde Serval who seemed depressed all the time, but he had a good sense of pride and he was someone that you could always ask for honest advice.

Ukitake, a Caracal with long white hair and the sweetest and most kind heart you'd ever find in a felid.

Shunsui, a liger with wavy brown hair and a scruffy appearance. He was recently labeled a 'womanizer' after having mated with twenty different females this passed season, but Ichigo has noticed that the liger has been following Ukitake around a lot lately.

And—to top everything off.

Standing to the side of the group were three young cubs: Karin, Yuzu and Kon.

Karin and Yuzu were Ichigo's younger twin sisters, and unlike his bright orange tail and ears, they had the same dark, burnt-looking orange coat that their father had. Karin's hair was black though, which reflected her grumpy attitude, while Yuzu's hair was bright and sunny—it matched perfectly with her lambent smiles that lit up the world.

Kon was a lion cub who Ichigo and Rukia found months ago, and even though the feisty kitten hadn't been in the family for long, he seemed to fit right in—except for the fact that Ichigo thought the cub was a pain in the ass, but in a younger brother sort of way.

Besides, Kon usually clung to Rukia and Matsumoto, so Ichigo didn't have to deal with him half the time anyway.

As Ichigo drew closer to the small group, he figured that they must've smelt his scent, because once he took just one more step forward, they all turned and looked straight at him. Many of them gasped and smiled while the others jumped up and hugged him tightly.

He barely suppressed the urge to squeak when a certain strawberry-blonde Puma practically suffocated him between her huge breasts.

He was able to pry himself away from her when Hitsugaya began to scold her, only to be tackled by the three cubs.

He was then instantly harassed with questions like, "Where've you been? Are you injured? Was it really the espada? What happened? Are those hickies?"

He felt overwhelmed and could do nothing else but remain quiet as they continued to interrogate him.

Though, to his relief, they went completely silent… but his relief then turned to annoyance when he felt the 'fatherly-love' vibes coming from above. He tilted his head up to watch as Isshin came stomping out of his den, which was located on the top ledge of the cave (Right where he could watch over everyone).

It was completely quiet as everyone watched the king with bated breath, waiting for the large tiger's reaction.

…

"Ichigooooo! My son!" He cheered gleefully, and everyone instinctively backed away as he leapt toward the orange teen. "I was so worried about you!" He cried as he smothered his son in kisses and hugs of manlyness.

"Get off of me you big oaf!" Ichigo shouted while pawing at the tiger's scruffy face. Isshin refused to let go though, and the orange-head was about to give in to the forceful hug but froze when he spotted Rukia and Renji on the other side of the 'living den' (AKA Living room—Where many of the meetings occurred and it was a place where most of the cats hung out and ate). The smaller tiger quickly kicked his father away so he could run over to his two friends.

"Renji! Rukia! Are you both okay??" Ichigo asked as he looked over both cats carefully. Renji's chest had stopped bleeding and was bandaged nicely along with the few minor scratches that were on his face. Rukia seemed to be perfectly fine, except for a few scratches across her shoulders, which were most likely from running through some bushes.

The lynx suddenly became teary-eyed and she sniffled softly before walking over to the startled tiger. "I-Ichigo. I'm so sorry! We were supposed to be looking after you, but I only ended up causing you trouble, a-and I didn't even try to help you from that panther. I'm so sorry, please forgive me." She sobbed while clinging to Ichigo tightly, her ears and tail drooping.

Ichigo sighed gently and smiled as he hugged her closer to him. He even got onto his knees, so they were the same height, and he proceeded to wrap his arms around her. He rested one hand on her head as she buried her moist face against his neck.

"Don't worry about it Rukia. There wasn't much you could do for me back there since you were being chased by two leopards and a fat-ass gorilla." Renji snorted in amusement at the last comment which earned him a glare from Ichigo. "As long as you're okay then it doesn't matter what happened to me…" It was Renji and Rukia's turn to glare at him.

"But that panther, he—"

"Don't worry about it Rukia" Ichigo cut her off as he stood back up and then smiled down at her while wiping away her tears with gentle thumbs. "Hey, do me a favour, and go and see if you can persuade my father into letting me go on another hunt tomorrow." He said in a soothing voice, and Rukia almost seemed like she was about to object to that, but she shut her mouth and nodded in agreement when she saw the pleading look in his auburn eyes.

Once she was on the other side of the room and out of earshot, Renji quickly grabbed Ichigo by his arm and dragged him into the nearest hallway, which just so happened to lead to Renji's den. The crimson tiger pulled the silent Ichigo along until they were fully inside the cozy den. He swiftly pushed Ichigo up against the nearest wall and pressed his body flush against him.

"Okay, you're telling me exactly what the hell happened to you out there. Once we rescued Rukia from those assholes, she couldn't stop crying about some panther that was attacking you." He said with a frown marring his face and his eyes followed the trail of hickeys that covered the orange tiger's neck. "I can fucking smell him all over you, and that bite mark on your neck… I can tell that he did more than 'attack' you."

Ichigo stubbornly turned his face away and remained silent.

For a second, he was worried that the redhead would blow up or get violent, but Renji merely released him and began to pace back and forth in front of the orange tiger, who was still pressed up against the rocky wall.

"Listen Renji… I—"

"I don't want any excuses Ichigo. Just tell me what he did." Renji snapped, knowing that Ichigo would tell a story just to try and make it seem like it was no big deal.

The smaller tiger kept silent for a minute and he watched Renji's bare feet walk back and forth, back and forth, and he could practically feel the jealousy/possessiveness that radiated off of the other tiger.

"He… well… He had me pinned to the ground… and he bit my neck… and he began licking me and stuff. But that's all he did." Ichigo explained while averting his eyes from the now angry felid.

Renji stopped pacing and turned his sharp red eyes to watch Ichigo fidget nervously with his orange ears folded back and tail wrapped around his waist protectively, as if he was expecting the larger tiger to attack him at any second.

Renji felt his own tail bristle with guilt and suppressed anger—but the anger was more or less pointed at the panther who _dared_ to touch his future mate.

After a long, awkward silence, Renji finally sighed and relaxed his muscles. He then slowly stalked over to Ichigo and grabbed his chin, making the cat look up so their eyes could meet.

"Is that all he did to you…?" He asked softly and blinked when Ichigo only nodded. "Hm… Fine. But from now on I want you to be more careful, okay? Ya know how worried we were about you?" Renji sighed gently as he embraced the smaller tiger. Ichigo growled a little and quickly pushed Renji off of him. "What the—"

"Fuck you Renji! I'm not some little kit anymore! I can take care of myself! And stop acting like you're my mate or something, because you're _not_! My father had only mentioned that we would make a cute couple, and you let it go to your head! Leave me alone!" Ichigo snarled and shoved past the dumbfounded redhead.

Once he made it back to the Living den, he was instantly grabbed by Rukia and dragged over to the place where everyone had started gathering. Apparently the search parties were called back and now everyone was all together, save for Renji, who was still in his den.

Ichigo sighed when he heard his father begin his stupid announcement.

"Today, we have once again proven to those espada that we reign supreme! And that _no one_ messes with anyone in our family!" Cheers and howls of agreement resounded throughout the large group of animals, but Ichigo remained silent. He saw no such victory today. "And, unfortunately, my son was unable to complete his hunt." At this, the tiger received sympathetic looks and pats on the back, but he merely shrugged it off. "BUT!" Isshin continued loudly while raising a large hand, "I have decided—with the help of Rukia—to give my dear boy another chance to show us that he is no longer a young cub!"

Yowls and cheers of agreement again echoed throughout the large, cave-like room, but Ichigo only glared at his father.

Isshin noticed the scathing look and cowered slightly with a pout.

"Isn't that what you wanted, Ichigo???" He whined while crawling over to his son on his knees. Many of the animals just shook their heads and rolled their eyes at the scene.

"Yes dad. But are you going to actually let me go out on my own this time? No one's going to follow me around… _Right_?" Ichigo growled, his tail lashing around threateningly. Isshin sat there on his knees, looking up at his son thoughtfully. He seemed like he was going to just go ahead and say 'No', but thought better of it when Ichigo bared his canines angrily.

"Okay, okay! Daddy promises to let you go out by yourself!" He shouted and began groveling at the orange felid's feet.

"Ugh… Would you _please_ act more like a king, you stupid oaf." Ichigo sighed while crossing his arms, but Isshin didn't seem to hear him. "C'mon dad wou—" Ichigo cut himself off when he caught sight of Renji emerging from his den, an expression of pure guilt marring his tattooed face. He glared at the crimson tiger heatedly and then roughly shoved his father away before turning around, towards the exit. He had to jostle his way through the many animals that were in his way, but once he was finally outside, he immediately jumped down from the stone ledge and bolted.

He ignored the others as they called out his name.

He let his legs sweep him away.

As he pushed his legs to move faster and faster, he was slowly able to calm himself down, the sound of his heart beating in his ears was a comforting cadence that slowly numbed his raging emotions.

The wind was soothing as it rushed through his hair, almost as if someone was running their fingers through his orange tresses, and the setting sun bathed the last of its warmth on his rippling muscles and long limbs.

Thoughts of Renji, hunting, and even Grimmjow escaped his mind as he continued to run—He didn't even spare a glance to the passing zebra and antelope—the only thing that entered his mind was how pretty the stars would be tonight.

~~About an hour later~~

Ichigo panted and wheezed for breath as he dragged his feet slowly across the soft grass, but he didn't stop until he finally reached the edge of his favourite watering hole, which was complete with waterfall and fruit trees. This was his favourite place to come when he was stressed out and only he and one other person knew the whereabouts of this place—which isn't surprising, because it was located at the farthest point of the 'Training Prairie' (which was right beside the 'Forbidden Forest'), where no one truly dared to venture through.

Ichigo walked closer to the water's edge and peered down, but all he saw was the reflection of the blackish-blue sky and the bright, gorgeous stars that littered across it—it was almost as if the water was another sky, but that was impossible because he could also see his shadowy silhouette as it blocked his view of the reflected image of the stars.

He chuckled when he saw the ripples from the waterfall come closer and sweep across his silhouette, making it seem like he and the stars were moving, maybe even dancing.

Smiling to himself, the tiger dipped one foot into the water to find that it was quite warm.

Nodding in approval, he quickly shed himself of his pants and dove into the water that seemed so black, but yet so very clean. Ichigo swam a few laps around the massive pool before settling himself out of the water and onto a rocky ledge that sloped out towards the water, right next to the roaring waterfall. He reached out a hand and let the cascading water slap against his skin.

The tiger was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice when a certain figure silently crept up behind him. He didn't even notice as said figure sat down next to him until a hand reached out and slid up his back slowly, fingers barely touching his skin. This made the orange tiger's body rack with shivers and he gasped softly.

Ichigo quickly turned his head towards the unexpected visitor, ears pulled forward in alarm, but he visibly relaxed when he immediately recognized the smirking shadow.

"Shirosaki, you ass! Don't _do_ that, you almost gave me a heartattack!" He yelled over the roaring of the waterfall before he took in the other's appearance.

Shiro's looks were pretty identical to Ichigo's own, except for the fact that he was an albino tiger, which meant instead of an orange tail and ears, he had white ones, but you could barely see his ears since they blended in so well with his hair, if, of course, you ignored the black stripes that decorated said ears and tail. Even Shiro's skin was pale. In fact, it was _so_ pale that it seemed completely white. Ichigo would always tease him by calling him 'the magic snowflake', which was mostly true, since he could 'disappear' whenever it snowed. Along with his frosty appearance, he also had a rough blue tongue, and bright golden eyes that were surrounded by black. And it never ceased to take Ichigo's breath away when the tiger was bathed in the moonlight—like right now. Shiro's whole beeing seemed to glow, which gave him an ethereal/godly look.

Said white tiger threw back his head and laughed that same loud, maniacal laugh that always seemed to cheer Ichigo up, oddly enough.

Ichigo was about to say something else, but was shut up when cold hands suddenly pushed him intothe water.

Ichigo broke the surface, spluttering and cursing Shiro, but the albino merely cackled again and jumped in right beside the other felid, making a small wave splash onto the tiger's flushed face. Ichigo pouted when he felt his hair stick uncomfortably to his scalp and his ears drooped slightly from being so soaked.

Looking around quickly, he began to worry when he couldn't find Shiro anywhere. His chest tightened uncomfortably at the mere thought of loosing the stupid albino tiger.

"Shiro?" He called tentatively, hoping to see any sign of the crazy cat.

Ichigo let out a surprised squeak when he was suddenly dragged under the water by his ankles.

When he broke the surface once again he dramatically gasped for breath.

"HAHAHA!"

Ichigo growled and turned towards the laughing tiger in order to splash him in the face, making Shiro's mouth get full of water.

"You jerk! I could've drowned!"

Shiro merely shrugged and said, "But ya didn't~ so **ha**! And 'sides, ya should know tha' I'd never le' my king drown! Tha'd be a rather pathetic way ta die, dun ya think??"

The next twenty minutes consisted of Ichigo chasing Shirosaki around in the water and cursing at him until they both grew tired.

"Oi, king! I think 'm gonna ge' out now~"

When Ichigo nodded in agreement, they casually swam to the other side of the watering hole, which was far enough away from the waterfall so they could easily hear each other speak without having to yell.

Shiro slowly climbed out of the water and then turned to help pull the other tiger out as well.

"Heh, never thought I'd see your ugly face again so soon." Ichigo joked as he violently shook himself, making water spray in every direction.

"HEY! Watch it!" Shiro complained as he got soaked—well, more soaked then he already was anyway.

Ichigo laughed as they both began to tug their pants back on, and once they were all buttoned up, he immediately hugged the other tiger tightly. "I missed you." He mumbled into the other's extremely pale chest.

Shiro seemed surprised by the berry's uncharacteristically affectionate attitude, but shrugged and hugged him back anyway. "Missed ya too… So wuh happened?" He asked, knowing something must be wrong with his king for him to act so strangely.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo mumbled, his face still buried in the other's chest.

Shiro's golden eyes narrowed, and his dripping wet tail swayed back and forth gently, before wrapping around the other's orange one. He then slowly ushered the other cat to sit beside him under their favorite tree—with its roots jutting out and curving up and then around, almost as if it was a making a small den for them. "'ey…" Shiro mumbled as they sat down on the soft, spongy, moss-covered ground, "Tell me what's wrong. I neva usually see ya here 'nless somethin's wrong—Well, yeah, sometimes ya come ta just visit me, which I appreciate by the way, but… jus' tell yer favorite servant wuh exactly is on yer mind." He said softly, which was odd for him to do. Usually he'd just beat the kit to a pulp until he told him, but he'd been feeling rather… **gentle** lately, especially towards his king.

Ichigo laughed hollowly at the 'servant' joke before going quiet for a second.

Sighing, he finally said, "Well… You remember when I told you about Grimmjow…?" He tried to keep himself calm by playing with the tip of Shiro's tail.

"Mmmm… oh yeah! Tha's tha' blue panther who you said was yer best friend when ya were lil', right?" Shiro said as he scratched his chin in thought. Ichigo nodded and began to absently pet the white tail that was trapped within his grasp.

"Yeah, that's him… Well, I saw him again today. The first time after eleven years."

"Really!? Tha's awesome! Ya finally found 'im. So are ya guys like bestest buddies again?" Shiro giggled and wrapped an arm around Ichigo's shoulders to give him a somewhat-embrace.

"Yeah, well… I also found out that he's an Espada…" Ichigo mumbled bitterly, tail flicking and ears lying flat against his head. Shiro looked down at the mess of orange hair with a raised brow before leaning down to nip at an orange striped ear, making it flinch away from him reflexively.

"So?" He scoffed.

Ichigo growled and tried to push Shiro away from him stubbornly, but the albino tiger refused to budge.

"What do you mean 'so'!!? He's the fucking enemy! I can't just.. I mean… He's… What the espada did… I can't forgive them… even if he wasn't part of it at the time…"

Shiro could tell by the cracking of his voice that he was about ready to start crying.

'_GoodLord, king can be such a baby sometimes…'_

Sighing, he began to nuzzle his face against the other's damp hair affectionately.

"I _mean_, my king, tha' it really shouldn't matta tha' he's **stuck** in a different world than you are. If ya guys like each other then ya should be friends, screw wuh the others say. And screw what **someone else** had done to ya. The past is the past, King… Ya need to let it go..." He explained while trying to sooth the shivering felid.

Ichigo clenched and unclenched his fists and he squeezed his eyes shut to help him resist the urge to cry, but a few rebellious tears leaked out anyway.

A soft hiccup bubbled out of his throat, making Shiro hold onto him more tightly.

"Tha's not all tha's buggin' ya is it?" Shiro hummed knowingly, but then he growled a little when Ichigo remained silent.

The Bengal Tiger huffed slightly and moved back just enough so he could grip the other male's chin, his black claws scraping lightly against the skin as he pulled the other's face upwards. His golden eyes glared sternly into Ichigo's watery brown ones and he refused to look away until he got an answer.

Ichigo wanted to hide away from the other's intense golden eyes, but couldn't find the will to do so.

"R-Renji got all mad when he saw the marks Grimmjow left on me, and then he got all jealous and possessive, and I'm just… I'm sick of him thinking that he's my mate." Ichigo snarled the last word and he averted his eyes from Shiro's piercing gaze. He winced when he felt the grip on his chin tighten.

"Marks?" Shiro repeated with a raised brow. He then used his grip on the other's chin to turn his head sideways. It was dark, so Shiro hadn't noticed the hickeys and the bite mark before, but now that he saw it, the albino felid growled a little and then sighed and forcefully calmed himself when he felt Ichigo tense up.

"D-don't get mad. Please." Ichigo squeaked, not wanting another one of his good friends to go all possessive on him again.

Shirosaki released his chin and then frowned when Ichigo immediately curled into a tight ball, with his ears tucked back and his tail wrapped around himself tightly.

"Ichigo…" Shiro called softly.

Said felid peeked out past his folded arms to stare at the white tiger in surprise. "…You… you haven't called me by my name since we were cubs…" He murmured, shock evident in his voice. Shiro shook his head once and grinned as he watched Ichigo slowly uncurl himself from his defensive position.

"Yea… Well, I jus' think tha' since yer bein' such a crybaby, tha' ya dun deserve to have the title 'King'~" He teased, and his grin grew wider at Ichigo's dubious expression.

Ichigo huffed defiantly and turned his face away, auburn eyes narrowing and bottom lips jutting out in a pout. He quickly crossed his arms and leaned back until he was resting against the tree's smooth bark. Shiro stared at the brooding kit for a few moments and he was content to just watch him, but then this burning sensation dug into his gut, forcing him to move.

Instincts took over the helpless white tiger, and he carefully prowled forward until his face was right in front of Ichigo's. Their noses brushed lightly against each other, and their gazes locked with a chilling intensity. Shiro then shifted until he had his long arms braced on either side of the orange tiger's head.

"…What are you—" Ichigo was cut off when white lips crashed into his own. All he could do was gasp lightly and clench his eyes shut as he felt sharp teeth nip gently at his lips. "S-stop." He breathed and he tried to move his head back, only to find that the tree's roots were in the way. Shiro slowly dipped his blue-ish tongue between Ichigo's thin lips, only to be stopped by Ichigo's stubbornly clenched teeth. Shiro growled deep in his throat but then began to kiss his way down to his neck.

'_Oh shit… Not again._' Ichigo thought helplessly as he felt the albino's mouth open and then clamp down. "Mrow!" He yelped in slight pain once he felt those canines dig into his skin and then he blushed when he felt the sensitive skin of his neck being sucked towards that hot mouth. '_Why do I feel so weak when things like this happen!?'_ He grumbled mentally as he pawed at Shiro's bare chest.

The white tiger seemed to snap out of his trance, because next thing Ichigo knew, Shirosaki was off of him and out of the small den-like nest. He was now pacing back and forth along the side of the watering hole, a hand clamped firmly over his mouth—the same mouth that had been 'attacking' Ichigo.

"Shit!" He cursed to himself, his feet never pausing.

Ichigo grumbled slightly as he placed a tentative hand over the new mark on his neck. His skin felt a little soar in that area (Che, ya think?).

Looking up, his auburn eyes followed the other's white form as it quickly traveled back and forth, back and forth.

"Shiro." He called out attentively as he slowly made his way towards said felid.

But the Bengal Tiger didn't seem to hear him; he just continued his aggressive pacing.

Once he was close enough, Ichigo reached out and grabbed his friend's arm, which instantly stopped him.

"Wh—"

"I shouldn't 'ave done tha'." Shiro answered before Ichigo finished the first word. "M'sorry, King. I really shouldn't 'ave even come here… I'm gonna go." He whispered, then shrugged off Ichigo's hand and turned to leave, but the berry refused to let him. He sighed when Ichigo wrapped his arms around him from behind and buried his face in his back. "King… Ya gotta let me go."

"No!" Ichigo said firmly, his grip tightening. "I don't… I _can't_ loose you Shiro. You're like my best friend. Please… just stay."

Shiro remained silent for a while, then sighed and made Ichigo loosen his arms enough so that he could turn around and face the other. "King... Look at me… C'mon… don' make tha' pathetic face, or I'm gonna 'ave to push you inta the water again… heh, see, tha's better... Now listen, I'll stay, but I can't promise tha' I won't do somethin' like tha' again…" He explained and smirked slightly when he noticed the other tiger blush. "Or… do ya _want_ me to do tha' again?" He said teasingly.

"N-no! shuddup you stupid snowflake! It's bad enough that Grimmjow and Renji are perverted assholes, I don't need another one molesting me!!" Ichigo yelled, though his blush grew a little darker, but before Shiro could point that out, he quickly turned and said, "I'm tired, I'm going to go to sleep."

The albino smirked and then followed the orange tiger into the little den in the tree. They both lay down, and Ichigo automatically wrapped himself around the other so his head was resting on his pale chest and their tails became intertwined, just like he always used to do.

Ichigo smiled when he felt the vibrations of a purr rumbling deep inside Shiro's throat. He then slowly fell into a deep sleep thanks to the steady rise and fall of the albino's chest.

Neither of the sleepy tigers noticed as a silent figure in the bushes began to creep away without a sound.

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*****TBC*****

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[1]- Hime is a honorific for 'princess'… c'mon you guys, I _had_ to make a strawberry-fem joke in this story at some point~ = w=~ but I will point out that even though I make Ichigo seem somewhat uke-ish at times, he isn't feminine what-so-ever ]:

[2]- Didya know that cats have a pair of vomeronasal organs—AKA Jacobson's organs—on the roof of their mouths? When a cat wants to pin-point a certain scent, they inhale through their mouths, and usually they'll fold their ears back, curl their lips up, and bring the air over the roof of their mouth. This makes them look like they're grimacing, but the look is called a 'Flehmen reaction'.

Just thought I'd share some knowledge~ I had to look up the name of the organs though because I forgot –hangs head in shame for never being able to remember names-


	4. Chapter 3: The Prowl

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_**Here Kitty Kitty **_

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_Chapter 3: The Prowl _

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**Author's Note: The beginning of this chapter explains a bunch of stuff that I may as well tell you now. No use putting off information that you'll need for future chapters, yea? xD Anyway, just bear with me through this chapter, and I hope you at least like the few surprises I snuck in here. x3**

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Down past the dark depths of the forbidden forest, and over the steep plains made of jagged stone stood a colossal mountain.

Though it wasn't quite as large as Masaki Rock, owned by none other than King Isshin, it was still a magnificent tower of pure, rocky earth and it had been magnificently shaped by the ancient winds that caressed it.

The current ruler of this barren, rocky land was a powerful lion named Sousuke Aizen. He was infamous for his calm and gentlemen-like smiles that would make anyone drop their guard, just so he could strike them down and stab them in the back. Though, not many animals would think of him as a bad guy, because he was so handsome and pristine—he even had these sweet brown eyes, but if you looked close enough, you could only find disdain and an undying lust for power hidden beneath that warm façade.

Now, you may be wondering why he would live in such a desolate land when he could easily take anything he wanted. Why would he let his 'family' live in such harsh conditions, only letting them venture into the forests and touch the soft grass for short missions.

That's simple: Because he wanted his so called family to grow strong and fierce. He wanted them to know hardships that would make them as rugged as the very cliffs they walked upon—unlike those soft _kittypets_ who lived comfortably in their warm dens and grassy plains which were shadowed by the soft forests' trees.

Oh how Aizen longed to smell the fresh scents of growing leaves and feel the grass between his toes, to feel the lush moss beneath his body as he slept. He had to remind himself everyday that it would all be his for the taking, if he just waited patiently.

When he was first banished from Isshin's lands, he had thought that he would just become some useless rogue—a loner with no purpose—some mangy cat.

But that was no life for a proud lion like himself.

However, luck was not on his side as he wandered aimlessly in the forbidden forest for many moons. It wasn't until months afterwards that he finally saw his chance.

He had accidentally stumbled upon a small white fox and a blue-haired panther. At first Aizen just sniffed at the two shivering bodies in disgust, but then an idea had come to him. He had decided then and there that he would make a family of his own—one that was much stronger than Isshin's own puny group of cats.

Slowly his family began to grow and he ended up raising many young kits that had no where else to turn to. Eventually, other animals began to join him; Gorillas, snakes, foxes, birds and etcetera. And once they were all old enough, he had come up with the brilliant idea of ranking each one, forcing everyone to seem less like a family and more like an army.

More like 'Espada'.

Most of the animals quickly got used to the idea of calling each other by rank instead of name, but there are still those who greatly apposed the idea… not that it really mattered—Anyone who dared to try and defy Aizen's word were dealt with swiftly and sufficiently.

A few moons back, Aizen had sent a few of his Espada to spy on Isshin, and he was happy to find that the tiger and his family were still as weak and soft-minded as they had always been.

It would be easy for Aizen to take down Isshin and finally take what was his—the land that stretched as far as the eye could see, and, of course, the gorgeous tower of sand-colored stone known as Masaki.

But just to be sure that his plan wouldn't fail, Aizen had ordered his top Espada to go and capture a member of the king's family, preferably a female, so he could use her against them. Aizen knew that those softies were too caring to let one of their own be harmed in any way.

Chuckling lowly to himself, said lion leaned comfortably back on his throne, which was carved of the purest stone and encrusted with different jewels that could be found in the various winding tunnels within the mountain.

"What is it you find so funny, Master?" A sly voice echoed about the large throne-room, straight from the darkest corner of the cavern, where the fading light of sunset (Which seeped in through the holes in the cave) could not reach.

"Nothing my pet. I'm merely reminiscing about the good old days." Sousuke hummed in reply, not at all surprised to find that he was not alone in the room.

A flash of white quickly slunk from the darkness and straight towards the lion, who smiled lightly when he felt his pet crawl right onto his lap.

"You're getting rather bold." Aizen observed as a fluffy white tail wagged back and forth happily and a narrow face nuzzled against his chest in an affectionate manner.

"Master likes it when pet does this though." Yipped the silver fox, a smile stretching his thin lips. The lion chuckled and his tail swung back and forth languidly as he petted the creature for a second.

"Gin, do me a favor and go fetch Ulquiorra and the others, I'm sure they're here by now." He ordered as he waved his hand in a dismissive manner.

The fox seemed a little put out at being sent away from his master so suddenly, but nodded and left without complaint—eager to please the felid who had taken him in and raised him when no one else would. As soon as the white tip of his tail disappeared behind the shadows of the tunnel, another voice erupted from behind Aizen.

"You shouldn't push him away like that, who knows how he might take out his frustrations."

The almighty lion actually blinked in surprise at hearing the other's voice, but he merely shrugged off his astonishment by leaning his elbow atop his armrest and propping his chin up on his palm, nimble fingers tapping lightly at his temple.

"I do not appreciate you sneaking around like that, and lecturing me in such a way will only serve to anger me. You're almost as bad as your brother when it comes to pressing my buttons." Aizen reprimanded as he watched the other felid slowly walk out from the shadows, revealing his long, light blue hair that cascaded down past to his slim hips, and made his dark blue ears stand out. Soft teal markings surrounded sea-blue eyes and stretched past his temples to fade into his wild hair. His eyes sparked in the sunlight as they stared at the lion and his long, dark blue tail gently swayed back and forth, barely grazing the ground.

"And I do not appreciate being compared to my insufferable younger brother." The panther shot back, making Aizen's hackles rise, but he didn't lash out like he would normally do to anyone else who dared talk back to him like that. He merely smoothed out his silk robes absently—as if he was a bird smoothing out its ruffled feathers—before turning his narrowed eyes back to the panther.

"I do hope you came here for a reason besides riling me up, Pantera." He said calmly as he gently pulled at his long bang which constantly hung in his face.

"I did." The panther started as he began making his way towards the lion until he was a few feet away from the stairs that led up to the jewel-encrusted throne. He bowed respectfully before continuing, "I have news that you may find interesting. And it involves my brother and a certain king's son." Pantera explained and straightened once again, his eyes locking with Aizen's, which now blazed with curiosity. "About an hour after you sent the _Espada_ out I went to follow after them and make sure they were doing what they were told, especially since Grimmjow and Nnoitra like to go off and do their own thing." He paused when he saw Aizen sigh and roll his eyes, knowing full well that those two would try to disobey him, one way or another. Then he waved his hand for the panther to continue. "Well as soon as I found them I saw Grimmjow and a certain orange haired tiger together and they were hugging and chatting as if they were best friends." Pausing again, Pantera watched as his lord narrowed his eyes in thought and then a wide, victorious smirk took over his face. Taking this as his cue to go on, he continued, "Well, then they seemed to have an argument all of a sudden and Grimmjow just ran away. The tiger looked guilty at first but he just shook his head and ran in the opposite direction. Later on I followed his scent up to a hidden area, right near this waterfall. It looked like a secret little hideout. But then later on I found him and that rogue you had spoken to last week, and they were cuddled up together like they were mates or something." Pantera finished with a cross of his arms and a flick of his tail.

Aizen was silent as he soaked up all the information he had just received.

So the mission had apparently failed, if the _Espada_'s delay was anything to go by… which did put a small dent in his plans, but knowing that Grimmjow and Ichigo were good friends—or possibly much more than that from what he gathered, that alone could possibly help him get what he wanted (and more) without even shedding one drop of blood. But that rogue could be a problem in the future…

An evil smile snuck upon his lips as another plan came to him, and Pantera wisely took a step back, his ears flicking nervously at the look on his lord's face.

"Lord Aizen…?" He called, snapping the lion back to reality.

"Yes. Well done Pantera. I have a new task for you now." The larger felid announced as he began gliding his way down the steps, his head held high as he walked. "Go and fetch Grimmjow. I wish to speak with him. And on your way out, tell the other Espada that I will speak to them about their mission, which I'm sure they had failed, later on. Until then, they are to stay in their dens." And with that Aizen turned and disappeared in the tunnel that led outside, and Pantera could've sworn that he saw a happy sort of bounce hidden in his quick steps.

* * *

Meanwhile, Grimmjow was sitting atop a high ledge that let him gaze out past the wide stretch of barren land that he called '_home_'.

'_Tch… Only Aizen would call this wasteland home… that sick freak._' He hissed in his head and then he curled himself into the fetal position, his dark tail curling around his legs protectively, and his gaze slowly drifted towards the distant green line that stretched out near the horizon, but it was quickly fading to a bright orange color due to the setting sun.

He sighed sadly as he remembered how his life used to be when he lived in that very same forest. In there was the only place he would ever call 'home'. No soft words of comfort from his lord could ever tell him otherwise.

His brother may have given up on ever going back to the life of the forest, with the soft leaves to surround them, but Grimmjow still dreamt of it every night. He also dreamt of Ichigo's familiar scent and glowing bright hair.

After living around the rocks and being away from the subtle scents of living things, he had forgotten what Ichigo had even looked like, except for that garish orange hair, but, after seeing his long-lost friend for the first time in years, everything came rushing back to him like a crashing wave.

Memories which he had locked away a long time ago.

"_Grimmy! 'ey, Grimm! Come 'ere, quick!!" Shouted a loud voice that could only belong to one cat. _

_Said small panther cub came skidding out of the fern and bushes, straight towards the voice that was calling out to him. He stopped just in time before falling into the large stretch of water that lay in front of him. He snapped his head to the left to see his orange-headed friend sitting right beside the gurgling riverside, and his wide auburn eyes were staring intently into the crystal clear water. _

"_Wuh is it?" Grimmjow scowled cutely as he stomped over to the other's side—and here he thought Ichigo might've been in trouble._

"_Look, look! What're those!" Curious eyes carefully watched as slippery looking creatures moved back and forth through the water swiftly, as if they were part of the flowing river. _

"_Oh… Those're fish." The panther answered, and he beamed proudly while puffin out his chest when Ichigo turned towards him, a look of amazement showing on his chibi face._

"_You know what they are!?" He said excitedly, practically bouncing up and down._

_The panther's ego seemed to swell with the praise._

"'_course I do! I know everythin'!" Grimmjow chuckled triumphantly, but he deflated at the tiger's next words._

"_I bet Pantera jus' told ya!" Ichigo giggled when his friend scowled down at the water grumpily. Apparently he'd hit the nail on the head. "So what're ya supposed to do with 'em anywayz?" He asked, quickly changing the subject, but that huge smile never washed from his face._

Grimmjow found himself smiling slightly as well from just remembering the other's happy face. And if he remembered correctly, that same fiery passion from back then still burned within in Ichigo, and the tiger still wanted to be friends with him—which made Grimmjow happy—but the whole Espada thing is what was keeping them apart…

Sighing, he tore his gaze away from the now dark and starry sky in order to think clearly.

'_I could run away from Aizen… 'nd ask ta join Ichigo's family… bu' Isshin prob'ly won' warm up too well wit' a panther—since he's the one tha' attacked my family and all… I wonder if Ichigo would run away wit' me… yeah! We could live on our own, s'not like we can't take care o' ourselves! But judgin' by the way Ichigo acted before, it would be pretty difficult ta persuade 'im ta leave his family like tha'. And his parents, whoever they are, might not be too keen on lettin' him leave either… KEH! Why does this 'ave ta be so damn difficult!_'

Grimmjow felt himself growling aloud as the thought of Ichigo and him never being able to see each other again crept into his mind. He didn't even want to think of something like that happening—he would make sure that they met again, one way or another.

"You seem quite sexually frustrated…"

Grimmjow nearly jumped out of his skin when the sudden voice spoke right next to his ear, but he narrowed his eyes and growled again when he immediately recognized that oh so fucking familiar voice.

"Go away, Pantera…" He hissed and kept his gaze glued towards the stars, not wanting to give his brother any more attention than needed.

"Aww… And here I was hoping for a big, warm family hug from my wittle bwother." The larger panther teased as he moved his face unnecessarily closer to the others, purposefully invading Grimmjow's personal space.

Said panther hissed and shoved at the other's face in order to regain his own personal boundaries before snapping, "No. Now go'way and allow me ta wallow in self pity."

His brother hummed thoughtfully before also gazing up at the sky which glittered brightly with dozens of tiny stars.

"You know… You should forget about that tiger… I know you two were great friends when you were little… but… people change. You'll never be able to get that same friendship you guys once had." Pantera spoke with such wisdom and experience that Grimmjow wondered if it was really his annoying older brother that had just spoke, and he was also a little pissed that Pantera knew about his association with Ichigo… and knowing the other, Aizen probably already knew about it, and knowing _him_, he was probably cooking up some evil plot that involved him and the luscious tiger.

"Yea… yer prob'ly right… It won't be the same. It'll be even better." Grimmjow promised to himself and his gaze hardened in determination. "I've already made up my mind… I _will_ get Ichigo to be my mate. And we'll live happily ever after an' all tha' romantic shit." A small smirk set upon his lips, making Pantera shake his head, long, bright-blue hair swaying around him and catching on the slight breeze as he did so.

"You're making a mistake." He tried to reason with the other panther, but he already knew that once Grimmjow's mind was set, there was no budging him.

"Feh, _you_ can say tha', 'cause ya've already got yerself a fuckin' mate—not to mention a rather crappy one tha' neva shows any damn emotions—but a mate nonetheless." Grimmjow growled as he crossed his arms across his chest, in what was _not_ a pout, and his dark-blue ears were folded back angrily.

"Hey! Don't make fun of my sweety-pie, Ulquiorra! And don't give me that crap okay!? You could have anyone with just a snap of your fingers! Oh actually, speaking of which, Ggio was asking me a lot about you yesterday. He seemed rather fond of you." Pantera hummed with a lecherous smile as he leaned in closer to the younger felid.

"Yea? Well tha' damn sabertooth-whatever-the-hell-he-is can shove 'is head right up 'is damn ass fer all I care." Grimmjow growled and then he mumbled a few more profanities under his breath as he tugged at his own tail to try and calm himself.

"Alright, alright. Just don't say that I didn't warn you…" The older whispered solemnly as he stood up, and Grimmjow paused to blink up at him curiously. "C'mon… Aizen wishes to speak with you." He said and he offered a hand to help his brother up, but the other merely smacked the hand away and got up on his own.

"Yea… I knew tha' was commin'… Let's go—'Fore his lordship gets _antsy_." He snarled and began making his way down the steep, rocky slopes, but because he'd lived around here for so long, it didn't take long for him to reach the bottom, even if the shadows of night blanketed everything.

Pantera remained where he was standing, his long hair wrapping around his body as the frigid air carried it, and his dull eyes stared at his hand which Grimmjow had smacked away. "Just don't get yourself in too much trouble, _Sexta_…" The night air swallowed up his words effortlessly and he was left with nothing but silence.

* * *

"Kurosaki! Wake up!"

Auburn eyes blearily opened and stared up sightlessly for a second before homing in on the fuzzy brown shapes in front of him.

"Wake_ up_ you lazy lump of fur!"

Wait… He knew that obnoxiously high-pitched voice…

"Ishida?" He mumbled sleepily as he finally sat up, he slowly rubbed his eyes until he could see clearly again.

"Don't be so rude, Uryuu…" Said another squeaky voice, but it was softer and much less aggressive.

"Ah.. Good morning, Orihime… Ishida." Ichigo greeted, uncharacteristically happy—which put both little chipmunks off guard.

"Kurosaki… You're not using catnip again are you?" Ishida accused and he propped his tiny arms atop his hips with a motherly-stern look crossing his face.

That seemed to instantly snap the tiger out of his happy-go-lucky daze (Which was probably caused by the dream he had had about a certain blue-haired panther) and a scowl snapped right into place on his face.

"What the hell do you want?" He hissed and crossed his arms, and although his appearance suddenly seemed hostile, the two mini-intruders seemed much more comfortable with this attitude. (Because they were more accustomed to it.)

"King Isshin asked us to go looking for you. He said he's really sorry if he had offended you yesterday, and he says that you could go hunting now if you want. But if you don't bring back any prey by sundown, then he will send out a patrol to go looking for you, just in case something happened to you." Orihime explained sweetly as she hopped up on the young felid's lap, her wide grey-ish eyes held nothing but affection.

Ishida, meanwhile, was waiting outside the den-like branches, his foot tapping impatiently.

"Come on, Orihime—we delivered the message, now let's go find Chad." He snapped as he flailed his tiny arms around in frustration. Orihime's gaze flickered between Ichigo and her companion uncomfortably for a second before offering the tiger a sweet smile and bounding away with Ishida.

"Pssst, Are they gone?"

Ichigo's tail twitched in amusement when he heard Shirosaki's voice from behind the weaving jumble of roots beside him and he chuckled.

"Yeah, you can come out now." The orange-head said as he stood up and stretched his long body until his muscles stopped quivering. Then he giggled unexpectedly when white fingers began tickling his sides. He quickly smacked the hands away and turned to see the smirking face of his friend. "Are you leaving now?"

The Bengal tiger hummed and shrugged in reply.

"Yea, I may as well, unless o'course ya want me ta help ya hunt." Shirosaki offered but his ears flicked back nervously when Ichigo suddenly gave him that weird look that told him that he had said something wrong, but he didn't know what.

Ichigo narrowed his auburn eyes and his tail swayed back and forth irritably.

"Whaaaat?" Shiro said with a slight whine.

"I don't need any help!" He snapped before moving to push past the albino, but he was stopped when a strong arm wrapped around his waist, keeping him right next to the other tiger's side. Golden eyes danced with amusement when he noticed that Ichigo was trying really hard to ignore the physical contact.

"I didn't mean it tha' way an' ya _know_ it~ But listen, do ya think ya could come back 'ere tonight? I wanna talk to ya 'bout somethin'." Shirosaki said, and he tightened his arm around Ichigo when it looked like the orange-head would say no.

"Fine," Ichigo agreed. "I'll come by when I can."

And with that said, he nimbly disappeared into the dense huddle of trees that lead out of the clearing and into the forest, not even saying farewell to his friend as he sped off.

He would probably apologize for that later, but right now Ichigo's mind was distracted by the image of a certain blue-haired panther, and it had been ever since he went to sleep last night.

He began thinking about how he would possibly be able to find him again and patch things up. He knew that the Espada lived near the mountain range on the other side of the forbidden forest, but he'd never actually set foot on either landscapes—for if he did, then it would be going against a direct order from the king, his father.

And apparently Ichigo had listened to too many of his father's creepy ghost stories about the horrible things that have happened there… All of them were fake—he knew that—but he couldn't help but feel a small sliver of fear as he ran into the darker parts of the forest.

Everyone knew that the only things that lived there now were rogue cats—and it just so happens to be why Shirosaki lives there. The albino had warned him multiple times that Rogues weren't the only things to be wary about in those trees.

The tiger sighed when he remembered that the place wasn't _always_ filled with dreaded creatures and it wasn't called the 'forbidden forest' either. It used to be a lively, peaceful place, full of prey and life, but that was before the battle with the panthers.

The orange-head had been too small to understand the reason behind the sudden hostility between Isshin's family and the panthers, and he didn't get it until years later when his father finally explained it to him.

Ichigo quickly shook his head to shoo away those old memories. There was no use in living in the past—all that mattered now was that Grimmjow was back and he would do anything to repair their friendship, even if it meant going through the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

Grimmjow snarled as he lashed out at a random tree, letting loose his untamed rage and ignoring the soreness in his back and shoulders as he attacked the innocent forest.

"Fucking Aizen and his stupid plans!" He hissed ferociously and he dug his sharp nails into the rough bark of the tree as he recalled the conversation he had had with his 'lord' last night—well actually it wasn't a 'conversation' per say, more like a game of 'I'm the boss and you're the lowly animal that will do as I say or be killed' and it just so happened to be Aizen's favorite game.

_Last Night~_

"_Grimmjow… I had heard from Pantera that you and Ichigo Kurosaki are rather… _close_." The oh-so-fucking brilliant lion said as he circled the panther in a condescending manner._

"_Yea… What of it?" Grimmjow growled haughtily, but then he winced and grunted when pain lanced through his back and his vision began to swim as he gritted his teeth through the stinging pain. But he kept silent, even as he felt that familiar feeling of blood running down his spine and drenching the back of his pants. _

"_I will not tolerate any back talk now. So if you're ready to be a good boy, I shall continue speaking." Aizen said in a mocking way as he paced around the wounded felid with his teeth bared threateningly. _

_Grimmjow glared defiantly at the lion, but kept his lips sealed shut as he waited for the other to begin talking again. _

"… _good boy." Aizen started, making the panther's glare turn venomous, but blue eyes widened in surprise at the next thing he said. "Did you know that Ichigo just so happens to be the son of Isshin?" Aizen suddenly asked, making Grimmjow's body stiffen at just hearing that name. _

_No, he hadn't known that Ichigo was related to that asshole-of-a-king, who had slaughtered his whole family for no reason, but Grimmjow shook his head and narrowed his eyes at Aizen suspiciously, not knowing what the point was in telling him that. _

"_Now that you know that little detail, I shall tell you your new mission… You must kill Isshin." Aizen said simply as he stopped pacing and stood right in front of the now confused panther. The lion's ears twitched in amusement at the look and a smirk spread on his face._

"_But… How? And wuh does Ichigo 'ave ta do with this?" Grimmjow asked incredulously. _

"_That's simple… The closer you get to Ichigo… the closer you get to _Isshin._" _

_Grimmjow looked down, uncertainty clouding his eyes as he thought about how devastated Ichigo might be if he did end up killing the King. Ichigo would never forgive him. _

_Aizen must've seen the hesitation in Grimmjow's expression, because he then raised his hand threateningly, bloody claws shining in the moonlight as he quickly backhanded the panther, which caused him to stumble backwards and fall right onto his back. _

_The panther let out a pained yowl as the cuts on his back scraped ruthlessly against the hard gravel. _

"_Don't you remember how horrible it was to see your own family murdered right before your eyes!?" Aizen growled and towered above the fallen felid with his feet straddling Grimmjow's sides and his dark brown eyes held slight satisfaction as he watched the panther's eyes glaze with pain—from both his wounded back and the pain of remembering the massacre._

"_Don't you want to avenge them—to show Isshin that they shouldn't have died in cold blood?!" Aizen urged on and he smirked at the sudden determination on Grimmjow's face. _

_Nodding quietly, the panther slowly got to his feet and looked straight into his leader's eyes. _

"_I'll do it."_

Grimmjow let out a frustrated growl then rested his forehead against the scratchy bark of the tree before letting out a defeated sigh.

Now that he had agreed to the mission, he _had_ to do it. There was no turning back now.

Aizen had already proved multiple times that he could easily kill him or his brother if he didn't do what he was told, and that pissed Grimmjow off. If it was only himself that was in danger and not his brother, than he'd just say 'screw it' and leave. But he knew that Pantera would never leave that place, especially now that he was with Ulquiorra (who was a very passionate follower of "Lord Aizen").

'_S'not like I dun want ta rip the king apart for takin' away my family. I would gladly slash 'is face for tha'. And yea, I'm a lil' angry tha' my future mate is related to the bastard, but I dun blame Ichigo… he was too young ta do anythin' about the attack…'_

"Man… I may as well get this over with…" He grumbled aloud before pushing off the trunk of the tree, his nails scraping softly against it and his light blue hair bobbed gently against the light breeze which crept through the deathly quiet forest.

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~TBC~

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_Grimmjow: -flicks tail impatiently while glaring at Minsra-_

_Me: ... o__o;; ??_

_Little Ichigo: -chases after Grimmjow's tail- HEH HEH~!_

_Pantera: AHWWW~! -grabs little ichigo and hugs him tight-_


	5. Chapter 4: The Challenge

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_**Here Kitty Kitty**_

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_Chapter 4: The Challenge_

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The green of the trees and bushes were nothing but a blur as he sped by. His striped ears were bent flat against his head to block out the wind that gusted around his moving body as he ran. His tail whipped behind him and curled every so often to help him turn sharp corners.

Bending his legs, he leaped nimbly over another fallen tree.

"Dammit…" He gasped out as he felt his breath become ragged. He was starting to get tired and the sky was growing darker with each step.

Ichigo had been looking for Grimmjow all day, but he couldn't find hide or hair of the blue-haired panther. The only things he'd come across were a few rogues, but they didn't really pay him any attention, and if they did, they must've been too lazy to give chase.

"Where are you…?" Ichigo snarled to himself as he finally jogged to a stop in front of a large wall of interweaving vines and bushes. He was far deeper in the Forbidden Forest than he'd like to admit, but he refused to turn back now. He knew that the panther was around somewhere.

He _had_ to be.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Ichigo was about ready to start running again, but he paused when he heard voices coming from just beyond the vine covered wall.

Slowly and carefully, he eased his way under the farrago of leaves until he was completely concealed within the wall. Straining his ears forward curiously, he peered through the branches as he tried to make out where the voices were coming from.

That's when he spotted two felids in the small clearing that laid in front of him.

One was a small lynx, like Rukia, but his short tail and ears were a very light tan—almost white, and he had black, well groomed hair. Ichigo also noticed with amusement that there were purple diamond marks across his face, which only added to his girly looks.

_'Hell… If it wasn't for his scent then I wouldn't be able to tell if he was male or female.'_ Ichigo had to stop himself from chuckling aloud, because he obviously didn't want them knowing that he was eavesdropping on them.

_'Thank goodness I'm downwind…'_

Ichigo switched his gaze from the lynx to the next felid.

This one had a slim waist, but his build was more masculine than anything. So he was definitely male.

He had long, glossy black hair which was weaved into a long braid, and he sported six wavy, red, whisker-like marks on his face—three on each cheek. Ichigo blinked curiously when he noticed the abnormally long canines that poked out from the felid's mouth.

_'He must be a sabertooth mountain lion or something… I've never seen one up close before.'_ Ichigo felt his tail twitch with interest as he watched the sabertooth pace back and forth angrily.

"Ggio… please stop pacing~" The lynx whined and he swayed back and forth on dainty feet, as if he was getting dizzy from just watching.

"Shut your trap, Luppi!" Ggio snapped back ferociously, his sandy colored tail lashing back and forth violently and he paused to glare at the smaller felid.

But Luppi didn't seem intimidated in the least.

"Why are you so upset anyway?" The lynx huffed irritably, his own tail swaying back and forth contentedly.

"Why do you think!" Ggio snarled and he folded his ears back to show his annoyance. "Mating season is coming up soon and Grimmjow's going to be gone for a while on some mission!"

Ichigo felt his eyes stretch wide at the mention of the panther he had been searching for.

_'How do these guys know Grimmjow?' _Ichigo thought, his eyes narrowing dangerously, but he convinced himself that he wasn't being possessive.

"So what if Grimmy is going away for a little while, you know you could always get someone else to mate with you. What, are you in love with him or something?" The lynx, Luppi, drawled and he smirked when Ggio's face was turning ten different shades of red.

Ichigo felt every hair on his tail and neck bristle in rage and he had to dig his claws into the ground to keep himself from pouncing out of his hiding place.

_'Welcome to the wonderful world of jealousy' _His subconscious ness teased. _'For the price of admission, you get a splitting headache, a nearly irresistible urge to commit murder, and an inferiority complex.'_

"SO! You used to have a crush on him too!" The mountain lion shot back, making both felids hiss at each other.

"That was before he turned into a complete asshole!"

"Take that back!"

"NEVER!"

Ichigo blinked and his ears twitched irritably when we had the sudden urge to go over there and beat the two felids to a bloody pulp.

But he knew that that would only cause more trouble than it was worth.

Sighing, he was about to turn away and continue his search for Grimmjow, when he was stopped by a grip to his tail. The grip was tight and Ichigo snapped his head back to see what had taken hold of him, but it was too late.

Ichigo dug his claws into the ground instinctively as he was roughly dragged out from under the bushes, leaving behind long gashes in the dirt.

Letting out a furious hiss, the tiger snatched his tail back and spun around to see his attacker. He wasn't expecting to come face to face with the one-eyed leopard from yesterday.

"_You_!" Ichigo snarled and he took a few cautious steps backwards, nearly stumbling back into the bushes. He flinched slightly when the branches dug into his back, making him arch forward.

The clouded leopard smirked.

"As soon as I saw tha' orange tail pokin' out from under there, I _knew _it was you." He chuckled while taking a small step forward.

The tiger wrapped his tail around himself protectively and glared up at the other's smirking face with smoldering auburn eyes.

"Stay away from me." He warned, baring his sharp canines threateningly, but the leopard didn't seem to notice, or he just didn't give a damn. So, thinking quickly, Ichigo grabbed hold of the vines that hung to the branches surrounding him and threw them forward; making most of them fall and tangle up around the taller cat.

Just as he was about to careen away, back into the safety of the trees, he felt something or some_one_ pounce on him from behind, making them both tumble to the soft ground. Wriggling around, Ichigo peeked over his shoulder, only to come face to face with abnormally long canines.

Grimmjow sighed with frustration as he climbed up another branch in the huge apple tree. He was about half way up it, and if he peered through the leaves he could clearly see the stars that were beginning to sparkle in the darkening sky. It wasn't night yet, but it was getting very close. Soon he would have to find a place to sleep—he didn't want to though.

The only thing he wanted to do was get to Ichigo, but he knew better than to travel around the Forbidden Forest at night. And besides, it would take another hour or so to reach Masaki Rock.

"Damn… I'm probably gonna 'ave ta go all the way there ta find Ichigo…" He grumbled to himself before reaching up to grab one of the deliciously red apples that surrounded him.

Taking a huge bite out of it [1], he swayed his tail and folded his ears back in concentration as he tried to figure out exactly how he was going to get close to Isshin.

'_I could always try an' catch 'im while he's out huntin'… Nah, he would probably 'ave somebody else with him… if I want ta kill him, then I 'ave ta get him alone… or I could—_' His thoughts were cut short when he heard something to his left.

It sounded suspiciously like a scream.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Grimmjow dropped the half-eaten apple, letting it bounce off the other branches to the earth floor. He then quickly jumped down to one of the lower branches until he could clearly see through the thin wall of leaves.

Now that he was closer he could hear voices, but even with his sharp ears, he couldn't understand what they were saying or who the voices even belonged to.

Moving swiftly and quietly, like a good predator should, he crawled forward on the thick branch until it thinned out and bowed beneath his weight. Then, in one strong leap, he landed nimbly on one of the lower branches of a different tree. The limb creaked from the sudden weight, but it didn't break.

A few stray twigs scratched at his face when he jumped to some more trees, making his cheeks sting, but he ignored it as he followed the voices, which were much louder now.

Once he was where he wanted to be, he dug his claws deep into the bark so he could keep still. He blinked his eyes and swiveled his ears around to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from. Once he knew, he slowly raised his tail to push away some of the leaves so he could look down at the commotion.

It took him a second to see because it was so dark now, but sapphire blue eyes widened when they immediately spotted a familiar head of orange hair.

'_What the HELL is he doin' so deep in the Forbidden Forest?_'

Twitching his tail irritably, he was barely able to suppress a growl when he recognized the three other felids surrounding the tiger. The muscles in his legs twitched and screamed at him to go down there and protect his mate, but Grimmjow knew that he should stay still in order to figure out what was going on first.

"You mentioned his name before so you _must_ know where he is!" Ichigo's voice shouted, making Grimmjow's ears perk in curiosity.

Ggio stepped forward threateningly, his tan-colored tail lashing aggressively. "Even if I _did_ know where he was, there is no way I would tell some kittypet like you!" He snapped and the tiger lunged at him, claws outstretched and reflected the moonlight.

They scuffled on the ground, hissing and spitting at each other as they tried to claw the other's face off. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes when he noticed Luppi and Nnoitra trying to get in on the fight.

'_Who the fuck're they talkin' about anyway?_' The panther thought as he once again tried to force himself to not jump out of his hiding place, especially when one of the felids clawed down Ichigo's chest, leaving behind long scratches.

The tiger hissed in pain as blood trailed down his torso and his ears bent down nervously when the predators began to circle him.

"You don't deserve someone like Grimmjow." Ggio hissed, making both the panther and tiger tense up, one in surprise and one in anger.

Ichigo growled deep in his throat, and everyone froze as the orange cat suddenly leapt into the air and tackled the other felid to the ground. The tiger growled and straddled the sabertooth's chest so he could pin down his arms with his knees, then he lifted his arms and scratched across Ggio's face, leaving behind bloody trails which blended in with the red marks already marring his cheeks.

Grimmjow smirked at that, feeling a little proud that his future mate could kick ass, but then he frowned when he noticed Nnoitra moving towards the angry tiger with a lustful look in his narrowed eye.

Looking around quickly, the panther grabbed one of the acorns surrounding him and chucked it downward, making it hit Nnoitra right in the head.

The leopard huffed in surprise and glared down at the acorn that attacked him so mercilessly before snapping his head back to glare up at the many trees circling them, but he couldn't find Grimmjow (who was expertly hidden within the leaves) so he just shrugged it off.

"Just tell me where he is, you stupid furball!" Ichigo snarled, unknowingly catching everyone's attention.

Ggio shook his head stubbornly and kicked his legs around to try and throw the tiger off, but it was no use.

Luppi, the sneaky lynx, quickly snuck up behind Ichigo and wrapped both of his small arms around the bigger felid's neck, distracting him enough for Ggio to wriggle his way out. Once the sabertooth was free, he instantly lifted one of his bare feet and kicked Ichigo in the gut. Then he dug the heel of his dirt-clad foot in the bloody cuts on the tiger's chest, making him gasp in pain.

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes angrily at that, and, this time, he couldn't stop the ferocious hiss that tore through him. All of the other felids jumped slightly.

"I know that hiss…" Luppi whispered, but his eyes still widened in surprise when he saw a certain blue-haired cat leap out from the trees, sharp teeth bared menacingly. The panther's eyes were practically glowing with killer-intent.

Ichigo used the distraction to pry Luppi's arms away from him so he could breathe properly. However, Ggio noticed that and pounced on the tiger, making them roll around on the dirt messily, limbs flying and claws glistening. Ichigo tried to overpower the smaller cat, but with a mighty shove, the sabertooth was able to pin him down.

Smirking victoriously, he was about to dig his large canines into the felid's tan throat to rip it apart, but someone roughly pulled him away by his long braid. He glared up at his attacker with blazing gold eyes, but froze and gulped when he saw that it was his blue-haired crush.

"G-Grimmjow, I—" His voice left him in a quick exhale, as if someone had just punched it right out of him when he saw that the panther's eyes were filled with worry. It was an expression that was rarely seen, and most of the animals actually thought that the panther wasn't even _able _to show emotions other than anger and boredom. Ggio usually would've been ecstatic to see such an expression on Grimmjow, if only it wasn't being directed at the tiger he'd just been about to kill.

"Ichigo… Ya okay?" Grimmjow asked as he helped said felid back onto his feet.

The tiger wasn't sure if he could trust his voice at the moment, so he just nodded instead. When he finally looked up and their eyes met, Ichigo felt a shiver of shock race up his spine when he noticed that Grimmjow didn't seem angry at all.

It was as if they'd been friends all these years—which was technically true. Ichigo never _stopped_ being friends with the panther… they just never got to see each other.

But, after their fight yesterday, Ichigo was positive that he'd have to apologize before Grimmjow would even talk to him.

"Ya sure?" The blue-furred felid pressed, trying to make sure that he wasn't in any pain.

The tiger folded his ears back nervously when the panther moved forward to inspect the scratches on his chest.

"What the fuck is going on!" Ggio snarled in disbelief. He stood on shaky legs and his voice was a little squeaky from rage but his sharp eyes were focused steadily on the pair standing in front of him.

"Keep yer hands off 'im, ya got tha'!" Grimmjow snapped back as he stood between the two felids, acting as a shield.

But, because he wasn't paying attention to the others, he didn't notice when Nnoitra snuck up behind them until he heard a yelp. Grimmjow whirled around and hissed ferociously at the taller leopard.

"Release me, you oversized squirrel!" Ichigo screeched as he thrashed around, and bit at his captor's arms.

It didn't help though.

"Don't you even—" Grimmjow started, but Nnoitra ignored the warning and latched his arm around his prey's neck, letting his other hand roam around the squirming body.

"I don't see why yer gettin' so worked up _sexta_. It 'aint like he's yer mate."

Grimmjow and Ichigo flinched at the last word and, to Nnoitra's amusement, they both glared at him. The leopard smirked and then easily lifted the tiger from the ground so he could lock him against his chest. Ichigo kicked his legs around, trying his best to get free, but it was useless in the awkward position, especially now that he couldn't use the ground as leverage.

The panther lashed his dark tail in frustration as he tried to figure out a way to get Ichigo out without actually hurting him in the process, but it was pretty hard to think clearly when a certain leopard's filthy hands were touching his mate.

Said mate was busy scratching and clawing at the arm around his neck, but his nails just weren't able to pierce the Nnoitra's tough skin.

And that frustrated the hell out of him.

"Ya can do tha' all ya wan', it 'aint gonna work. After living in the mountains fer so long, our skin 'as become a lot tougher." Nnoitra whispered tauntingly in the tiger's striped ear, making the appendage flick back and forth reflexively.

Ichigo growled deep within his chest at that and he was about to start shouting again, but his voice got stuck in his throat when he felt the hand that had been touching around his sides suddenly dive into the back of his pants. He choked for breath and almost whimpered when the felid's hand fondled his backside.

"G-Grimmjow, help!" He couldn't believe he was asking for help—he'd never _had_ to ask for help like this before, but he didn't really have a choice at the moment.

Grimmjow's temper flared and every hair on his tail bristled with suppressed rage. He shifted on his feet and was about to jump forward, but his legs stiffened when he heard Ichigo yelp in pain.

"Stay where ya are, _sexta_." Nnoitra demanded and dug his nails deeper into the soft flesh of Ichigo's arm. The poor tiger suppressed another pained yelp when the sharp claws began to tear his skin. Brown eyes grew blurry and long limbs went numb as the pain began to overwhelm him. It felt as if the leopard was going to actually rip off his arm.

"Okay! Okay…" Grimmjow took a step back, finally making Nnoitra relent his hold on Ichigo's bloody arm. The panther _knew_ that something like that would happen if he tried to help, but he loathed the fact that he could only stand around and watch as Ichigo was being violated right in front of him.

He would just have to wait until Nnoitra finally looked away from him. As soon as that happened, Grimmjow would make sure the leopard wouldn't be able to touch Ichigo ever again.

"Hey… Ggio." Luppi whispered once he sat beside the frozen felid.

"What…?"

The little lynx sighed when Ggio refused to look at him.

"Aren't you going to do something?" He asked as he turned his gaze back to the three other felids.

He didn't receive an answer for a few seconds.

"Nope…" And with that Ggio sped off into the bushes. Luppi rolled his eyes, but followed him nonetheless.

Ichigo glued his eyes shut and tried to focus all of his attention on the pain in his arm so that he wouldn't notice how Nnoitra's fingers, which were slick with his blood, began to trace around the muscles on his torso sensually.

"Fuck…" He heard Grimmjow curse and he peeked one eye open to see the panther sending Nnoitra the most murderous glare he'd ever seen.

_'okay… Think Ichigo… What can you do to get yourself out of this fucked up mess… Grimmjow looks like he'd kill this leopard the next chance he got… but if he tries to move at all then the bastard is going to hurt me again. Maybe if I can distract him somehow...' _

Ichigo gulped in some air nervously when an idea came to him, but he narrowed his eyes in determination.

The sooner he got away from this sick freak, the better.

Nnoitra blinked in surprise when his captive suddenly tensed up and then went limp. He didn't want to take his eye away from the panther crouching in front of them, but he couldn't help it when the tiger was just dangling limply in his arms.

'Did I kill 'im?' He thought curiously as he looked over the tiger's body for any signs of life.

Bad idea.

As soon as he turned his gaze away from Grimmjow, the panther pounced, making him lose his grip on his prize. Once Ichigo was on the ground, the tiger gripped his own throat and started coughing and gasping for breath. Panting slightly, he turned to look over his shoulder, only to find Grimmjow standing menacingly over an unconscious Nnoitra, pale face barely recognizable.

"Damn weak ass furball." The panther grumbled, spitting on the ground right beside the leopard's bloody cheek. With a sigh he turned around and began stalking towards Ichigo, who was now inspecting the open wound on his arm. "Ya okay?"

The tiger jumped when he found that Grimmjow was sitting right in front of him, before smiling nervously. "Yea… I'll be fine." He didn't sound very convincing, even to his own ears.

Grimmjow flicked his tail and remained silent for a minute, his blue eyes locked on the small river of blood that was seeping out of the gashes. The cuts on Ichigo's chest were already caked over with dried blood, so it had stopped bleeding, but Grimmjow was worried that he was losing too much.

Ichigo yelped in surprise when he was suddenly picked up from the ground by strong arms. One arm tucked beneath his knees while the other was wrapped around his back, firmly pinning him to Grimmjow's chest. The tiger folded his ears back nervously and curled his tail up so that it wouldn't drag on the ground.

"Uhm…" He started when he felt the panther sprint off in the trees. "My arm's hurt, not my legs! I can walk! Can you just put me down!" He squeaked when Grimmjow glared down at him and tightened his hold.

_'I guess that's a no…'_ Sighing, he relaxed a little, and just let the bigger felid carry him. Although, it irked him when he noticed that Grimmjow didn't have a single scratch, and the jerk was making it seem like he only weighed as much as a feather.

Ichigo shook his head at that, _'stupid pride…' _

It didn't matter. Nothing else mattered.

Grimmjow was here.

And he wasn't mad at him…

The tiger sighed irritably when he realized that they would have to talk about that argument yesterday sooner or later, but he guessed that it could wait until later.

"Where're we going…?" He grumbled against Grimmjow chest as the panther continued running.

"I'm takin' ya home," Was his instant reply.

"No!" Ichigo shouted and gripped the felid's shoulder out of reflex when he suddenly stopped.

"And why the hell not?"

_'He doesn't sound very happy…'_

"I need ta get ya back so they can look at yer wounds!"

Ichigo shook his head, orange bangs brushing his forehead and auburn eyes shut stubbornly. "It's not that bad! I don't want to go back… not yet…"

Grimmjow looked down at the mop of orange hair in exasperation, but sighed in defeat.

"I guess I can find some place fer us ta sleep fer the night… but as soon as the sun rises, m'takin' ya home." He growled, voice full of authority, making it hard for Ichigo to argue back.

"I know a place we can stay." The tiger suggested instead.

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~~~~T.B.C~~~~  
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[1] – Yes, I do realize that Cats are normally carnivores, but you'd be surprised. My cat loves HoneyDew Melons… And apparantly they're 'obligate carnivores'. which means they can't really digest vegetable-like foods, but they do it anyway... idk. here's the link :

http : / / en . wiktionary . org / wiki / obligate_carnivore

Big thanks to Nijirochan for beta-ing~~~~~ idk what I'd do without her help

;_;

_Girmmjow: -broods-_

Me: ._.;; ?

Grimmjow: i wanted to grab ichi's ass too... -dark glare-

Ichigo: -sighs and rolls eyes- you're such a big baby... -sits on Grimm's lap andkisses forehead- =_=

Grimmjow: -is satisfied-


	6. Chapter 5: The Law

I apologize for the long wait… but I hope this was worth it. :D

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_**Here Kitty Kitty **_

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_Chapter 5: The Law_

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As Grimmjow followed Ichigo's directions, the tiger couldn't help but wonder if this was really such a good idea.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, that annoyingly small and whiny voice kept ordering him to turn back before it was too late, but the brainy part of him kept telling him otherwise. A mantra of '_What could possibly go wrong?_' was replaying inside his head over and over again.

Too late to back down now.

They were already there.

"This is the place." Ichigo mumbled softly against the other's shoulder as he hid his face.

He felt Grimmjow chuckle through his panting, and wondered what was so funny, but the panther gave him no chance to ask. Ichigo stayed silent as he was placed down near the edge of the water. Grimmjow plopped down next to him and immediately began inspecting the dandelion's wounds. Ichigo couldn't help but smile when he felt strong hands, wet from the water, begin cleaning away the dried blood on his torso.

A yelp bubbled out of his throat when claws scraped along one of the smaller cuts.

Grimmjow's ears folded back nervously and his hands froze, but when he saw that Ichigo was fine, he rinsed his bloody hands in the water and continued. Ichigo sighed and reached up to push the hands away when they went to his arm. It was completely soaked in his blood.

Dammit, that Nnoitra nearly tore his arm completely off.

Ichigo slid into the water with a hiss until he was completely submerged.

Grimmjow's tail twitched when he saw the tiger's head reappear above the surface and his ears perked when the orange head kept swimming closer and closer towards him.

He didn't have time to shout or even growl when Ichigo suddenly grabbed hold of his ankles and dragged him in. Ichigo couldn't help but laugh when his victim began thrashing and splashing around until he was finally able to grab hold of the grassy ledge. The panther's blue eyes were wide and his whole body was tense as he stared at the water as if it were about to devour him.

Light-blue hair drooped against Grimmjow's wet forehead, making it look much longer as it framed his face and stuck to his neck.

Ichigo smirked and lazily swam up until he was right beside the panther. However, he wasn't expecting Grimmjow to turn to him with a playful glare. He tried to swim away, but it was too late.

The blue-furred felid kicked off the side and pounced on him. They playfully swatted, bit, dunked, and kicked each other until Grimmjow finally noticed that they had accidentally reopened one of Ichigo's wounds.

"Hey hey. Yer bleedin' again." He chastised while taking hold of Ichigo's wrists so he would stop moving.

The tiger quickly looked down and groaned when he also noticed the blood seeping out into the water like a mist. Grimmjow dragged Ichigo to the side and lifted him up until he was sitting on the edge, his feet and tail still dangling in the water.

Grimmjow moved himself between the other's legs so he could get a closer look at the gash, and he sighed in relief when it was only a small cut that was bleeding. He looked up, only to notice that Ichigo was looking away, and, even though it was dark out, Grimmjow could still see the bright blush.

Ichigo peeked down and then quickly looked away again when he saw the huge smirk on Grimmjow's face. He clenched his eyes shut and his whole body jolted when a rough tongue slide up the middle of his chest, right between the pectoral muscles.

Grimmjow had to place his hands on each of Ichigo's thighs to help pull himself out of the water. He straddled the smaller felid and moved his face forward until their noses brushed together. He stopped once his lips were just a breadth away.

Ichigo knew that the panther wanted him to make the last move so that they could be kissing, and the thought scared the fuck out of him, but that didn't stop him from moving forward.

As soon as their lips touched, it was like a gate burst open inside Grimmjow, unleashing a flood of emotions. The most powerful emotion being lust: Pure, unbridled, and instinctual lust.

Ichigo's blush threatened to consume his whole face and neck when he felt the bigger cat suddenly thrust forward until he was on top of him. The moonlight, which cascaded down upon them, created a soft outline around the panther's face, hair, and ears.

Ichigo's breath hitched as he continued to stare up at the animalistic look on Grimmjow's face. The dominate felid let loose a growl and then descended upon his prey. Ichigo's auburn eyes rolled into the back of his head when strong hips rolled against his own. Pure ecstasy seeped into every pore of his body, making him whine in the back of his throat and instinctively spread his legs so he could wrap them around Grimmjow's hips.

Grimmjow intertwined their tails and he grazed his canines against Ichigo's perked nipples. He then dove his hand down the other's pants, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps.

Ichigo didn't notice that he was purring when fingers wrapped around his pulsing phallus; the tiger's poor mind ceased to exist.

Grimmjow chuckled after he took a good whiff of the body twisting beneath him.

He smelt of a cat just _begging_ to be screwed.

Grimmjow almost ripped the pants as he slid them from his mate's body, leaving the tiger completely naked and vulnerable, but Ichigo didn't seem to notice as he squirmed about. Shaky hands automatically reached out and Grimmjow smirked when he felt nails dig into his already scratched back. Those fingers quickly pulled him down so their bodies were pressed tightly against each other.

Ichigo panted and buried his face against the panther's wet neck; mouth partly opened so he could breathe in Grimmjow's musky scent—imbedding it into his lust-crazed mind.

Ichigo braced his feet on the ground and began thrusting his hips up so that his erection slid against his and Grimmjow's abdomens.

"Ichigo," Grimmjow groaned when said tiger nipped at his shoulder, but Ichigo froze at the sound of his name.

Reality came crashing back to him like a slap to the face.

Grimmjow yelped in surprise when Ichigo suddenly planted his feet into his gut and sent him flying. His breath left him in a huff when he fell straight into the cold water, and he instinctively thrashed his way back to the surface, desperate for air.

Ichigo was too busy having a mini-breakdown to see Grimmjow's angry form clawing its way back out of the water.

_'I can't believe I almost broke the one law that dad entrusted with me. If he knew that I… That we… he'd never let me hear the end of it!' _

Grimmjow snarled, breaking Ichigo from his thoughts and making him look up at the drenched panther. The tiger gulped and his ears drooped nervously when he saw the other's bared fangs glistening in the white light of the moon.

"Grimmjow, I—" Ichigo didn't get a chance to finish before the felid pounced at him.

He quickly rolled away and jumped to his feet.

Standing there in front of Grimmjow was extremely awkward—due to his nakedness and undying erection, and the hungry look he was receiving didn't help either.

"Please stop this Grimmjow." Ichigo said and he held his hands up when the other got too close.

"Why?" Grimmjow snapped. "You were enjoyin' it a moment ago," He gave a pointed look towards Ichigo's dick before continuing, "Why the sudden change?"

Ichigo chewed on his bottom lip as he thought of what exactly to say.

"I'm not allowed to…" He fought for the right word to use, "Mate." He tried and sighed when Grimmjow gave him a blank look. "My father doesn't have all that many laws that we must follow… Most of them are the usual 'play nice' and 'an eye for an eye' kind of bullshit, but there's one law that has to do with me." Ichigo explained and he was happy to see that the panther was slowly beginning to unwind. "He has made it clear to me and everyone else that before someone takes my virginity; they must first get permission from him."

At first, Ichigo was afraid that Grimmjow would get upset and start yelling, but he just remained silent.

Honestly, he preferred an angry Grimmjow.

The rustling of bushes shifted the panther's attention away from Ichigo, and the tiger was relieved at first but he silently groaned when he recognized the scent that drifted towards them.

Grimmjow's tail bristled and he shifted his body in front of Ichigo's protectively when an unfamiliar cat came into view.

The felid hummed absently as he brushed away some leaves from his pants.

Golden eyes widened and then narrowed when he finally looked up.

"King…?"

"Ggio! Slow down dammit!" Luppi whined when he lost sight of his enraged friend.

"Be quiet," Ggio spat back in a hushed tone, his long braid whipping around hazardously when he looked over his shoulder to glare at Luppi. "We're getting close." He continued before looking forward once more.

"Why're you doing this…?" Luppi said as he stared at the two small rocks fisted in Ggio's hand. Normally, Luppi wouldn't mind causing a little trouble, especially if it would piss off the almighty Grimmjow, but the murderous look in Ggio's eyes was making Luppi worried.

"Because I finally realize how far away Grimmjow really is from me." The sabertooth growled. Just the thought of that orange tiger made Ggio want to destroy something—to rip it to shreds with his bare hands.

Luppi sighed, realizing that Ggio's mind was already set.

The tiger would be lucky if he survived the night.

"There they are…" Ggio whispered, but it was hard to hear him over the roar of the waterfall. Luppi lifted his nose and immediately recognized two of the three scents that were carried towards them. They peered through the bushes, and it took them a second to spot their targets because it was so dark, but there was enough moonlight pooling in from the canopy to see the three figures standing near the huge tree. The white light made it hard to discern colors, but Ggio was able to recognize Grimmjow and Ichigo.

There was an unknown felid wrestling with Grimmjow. He was white, from what they could see: an albino tiger. Strangely, he looked just like Ichigo, but they could tell his fur and skin was white, because he was practically glowing in the moonlight.

Both bystanders watched as Grimmjow and the tiger rolled around in the grass, their tails bristling in rage as they hissed at each other.

"Knock it off you guys!" Ichigo shouted, and Luppi's face immediately flushed when he saw that the prince was completely bare. His pants were nowhere to be seen.

Grimmjow paused in his fight to look up at Ichigo, but his opponent saw that as an opening. The panther hissed in surprise and pain when sharp, needle-like claws dug into his skin and scored their way down his torso. Ggio narrowed his eyes at that, but made no move to help. He actually looked rather disappointed that Grimmjow would be caught off guard so easily.

Ichigo yelled at the albino tiger and quickly pulled him away from Grimmjow, who was silently watching the blood pour out his body in little rivers. His face was completely void of emotion.

"Shiro! Calm down!"

Luppi watched as Ichigo tried to calm the enraged felid by placing his hand on either side of his pale face, but when golden eyes continued to glare daggers at Grimmjow, Ichigo did something unexpected—he pulled Shiro's face towards himself and smashed their lips together. Ggio rolled his eyes when the pale tiger almost literally melted into the kiss. His white tail went limp and all his muscles, which had been tensed and ready to strike, sagged.

Ichigo pulled away just as Grimmjow started to bristle.

"Please stop fighting…" He whispered to both felids, his cinnamon colored eyes wide and quivering nervously. When they finally nodded, Ichigo released Shiro.

Luppi's attention was snatched away from the scene when he noticed that Ggio was sneaking his way towards the huge tree. They both made sure to stay downwind as they moved along the shadows, wedging their way between the large, intertwining roots that jutted out and curved to form a cozy little den.

"You should stop, Ggio."

Said sabertooth ignored him in favor of striking the rocks together. Sparks occasionally spat out, making Luppi's ears flick anxiously. The small cat shifted and peeked through the roots to see if the others had noticed them yet.

Nope.

Luppi froze up when the smell of burning reached his nose. Ggio had to pull him out before he was sent ablaze along with the tree.

"Let's go." Ggio hissed. They both fled into the bushes and down the cliffs, escaping the imminent disaster they had started.

"What exactly happened?" Shirosaki demanded while gesturing towards his king's wounds.

Ichigo sighed and paused in cleaning Grimmjow's bloodied chest to look back at his friend.

"I got attacked. Grimmjow saved me. End of story."

Shirosaki looked almost guilty for attacking the panther, but then his gaze hardened once more as he said, "Then why're ya naked?"

Ichigo's whole face slowly stained deep crimson when Shirosaki motioned to his state of undress, so he quickly hid his face in Grimmjow's shoulder.

He flicked his orange tail when he heard Shirosaki's warning growl.

"Qui' interrogatin' 'im." Grimmjow snapped. He wrapped his tail around the dandelion protectively, but Shirosaki only saw it as being 'possessive'.

"Listen 'ere, _panther_, if you even **think** o—" Shirosaki's voice caught in his throat when a cloud of smoke raced over them, bringing with it: heat, acrid air, and the stench of burning. All three felids turned around and their wide eyes caught sight of fire, which was quickly spreading. Its soft, bright-orange fingers stretched towards them, looming threateningly. The bushes that circled the clearing were being set aflame one by one. The felids didn't move a muscle; fear seemingly rooted them to the spot until their 'flight' instinct finally kicked in.

Shirosaki and Grimmjow were the first to move, but Ichigo was still inert. The panther and albino tiger dove into the water where the flames couldn't reach them, but they both knew that they would have to get far away before they started to breathe in too much smoke.

Grimmjow paused to look behind him and his eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw that Ichigo wasn't in the water yet. His motionless form was still in the grass, silhouetted amongst the fire.

"Ichigo!"

Shirosaki's hands nearly slipped from the wet rocks when he heard Grimmjow's shout. He quickly looked back, only to find that Ichigo was dangerously close to the fire and he seemed unable to move.

"Dammit Ichigo! MOVE!" Shiro yelled desperately, but the prince didn't seem to hear him. Before the scalding flames were about to reach out and devour the prince, Grimmjow was able to drag him into the water, just in time. The panther growled as he leaned Ichigo's shivering body against the smooth rocks right beside Shiro. Brown eyes were wide, but they saw nothing. They just stared straight ahead.

"Getta hold of yourself!" Shiro growled, splashing the unresponsive tiger's face with water. That seemed to snap Ichigo out of his trance, but only for a moment before he went unconscious. "No! This is _not_ the time for that!" Shirosaki shouted, but it did nothing to help. They were wasting time. The fire was spreading, even climbing its way up the farrago of vines and weeds that grew along the waterfall's cliff. They needed to stay as close to the water as they could.

"We'll just carry 'im." Grimmjow grumbled, surprisingly calm in this troublesome situation. Shirosaki could only nod in agreement as he watched the panther place Ichigo's limp body onto his shoulder, damp orange hair tickling his bare back.

Grimmjow started climbing swiftly. He made it look so easy—hauling himself up one-handed as he kept a tight grip on Ichigo. But, after living in the mountains for so long, climbing things like this was as easy as stepping over streams. Not even the rainiest days in the mountains could deter him now.

Shirosaki was following behind a few yards down, making sure to keep an eye on Ichigo so he didn't slip off. But it was hard to watch _anything_ with the smoke stinging his eyes.

Once they finally arrived at the top, Grimmjow carefully shifted Ichigo so that he was laying across his arms, bridal style. Ichigo's long tail limply dragged across the ground as Grimmjow walked forward.

Both Shiro and the panther squinted their eyes and coughed as a cloud of thick, heavy smoke surrounded them. They moved carefully as they made their way into the trees that had yet to catch fire.

"I can't see anythin'." Grimmjow hacked as the ashes and smoke burned his lungs.

Both felids snapped their heads to the right when they heard crackling and an ominous creak. One of the lit trees was about to fall on them. Grimmjow quickly jumped forward, nearly losing his grip on Ichigo.

When he turned around to see if Shiro was okay, his jaw clenched when all he saw was the burning tree lying on its side.

No Shiro.

"Hey! Ya still alive!" Grimmjow shouted, his eyes wide and glowing orange from the light of the flames. "Answer me dammit!" It's not that he truly cared about the stupid albino, but if he was a friend of Ichigo's, than he couldn't be _too_ bad, right?

"M'fine!" He heard Shiro shout over the wall of fire. "Just get Ichigo home safely ya damn panther!"

Grimmjow didn't have to be told twice, and he wasn't about to waste any more time. He looked down at the prince's unconscious form as he continued to run, an expression of worry chiseling its way on his face.

'_First he goes to the damned forest ta look for me, only to get himself in a fight with three of the most temperamental felids in the land, and then he practically gets molested… and now this shit. I'm startin' ta think that the dandelion is a magnet for trouble._'

Grimmjow slipped around a tower of boulders but then skidded to a halt when he saw the river.

_**"'ey Grimm, are ya sure it's safe…?" The little orange cub asked nervously as he dabbed his hand into the water.**_

_**"o'course it's safe, dummy." Grimmjow retorted with an offended look. "Ya don't trust me?"**_

_**Ichigo looked up at his friend with big, brown eyes and then he shook his head. "I trust you, just not the water."**_

Grimmjow shook away the flashbacks that this particular spot on the river conjured up. The river didn't seem as deep now as it did when they were cubs, so he was able to wade his way through without either of their heads going underwater, but the current was still pretty strong.

His foot slipped along the slippery rocks at the bottom, and he cut his heel on something sharp, but he ignored it; he needed to get across this damned water.

The panther panted heavily as he dragged himself and the tiger out of the water. He laid his head against the cool grass, his breathing slowly evening out and he clutched onto Ichigo's naked form as he glared at the fire's reflection in the river. Once he was calm again, he immediately got back up. He knew that the fire couldn't reach them now, but he refused to stop until Ichigo was back home, safe and sound.

'_I've turned into a real fuckin' pansy, haven't I?_' He chuckled to himself.

Just as his feet neared the edge of the forest, he was stopped dead in his tracks by multiple growls.

His dark blue tail bristled in alarm and he unconsciously held Ichigo closer to him.

Even though they were close to the plains, many trees still surrounded them, blocking the light of the moon and stars, save for a few streams of light. Grimmjow snarled when he smelt all sorts of unfamiliar scents and heard the crunch of earth beneath their feet as they circled him.

"Who's there?"

A couple of growls echoed his demand and he felt long tails graze his sides as they sped passed him threateningly. He refused to run away though. He needed to get by.

"Cowards!" He snarled, but that only seemed to make them laugh.

A few more laughs and Grimmjow finally got his wish.

One by one, the unknown animals began to step into the small beams of light that shone through.

First was a Puma with long strawberry-blonde hair and a well-endowed chest. Next was a Lilac-haired cheetah—who was also well-endowed. A short snow-lynx with spiked, white hair. A liger with long, curly brown hair. A black jaguar with short, dark hair and a row of three, thin scars trailing down his right eye. A red tiger with long crimson hair, who looked especially pissed off. Standing beside him was that female lynx from the other day and perched upon her shoulder was a large, black hawk with a dangerously hooked beak. Standing behind Grimmjow was an extremely tall wolf with rows of sharp pointy teeth and an eye-patch and sitting atop the wolf's long hair was a little pink pup.

And last, but not least, out came the king himself. He stood tall and rigid. His orange ears were perked and alert while his tail swayed back and forth lazily.

Each of their faces held the same, hostile expressions.

"What'd you do to Ichigo, _Espada_!" The red tiger hissed, his tail lashing angrily.

Grimmjow shifted and was about to start explaining, but his jaw snapped shut and everyone's eyes immediately fell to Ichigo, who was slowly regaining consciousness.

"Grimmjow…" Ichigo blinked up at the blurry form and he nuzzled his face against Grimmjow's neck. The once hostile looks quickly changed to surprise when they heard their prince begin to purr. Isshin hadn't heard his son do that since he was a little cub.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and silently urged Ichigo to look around since the tiger was still too dazed to realize his kin was here.

The prince looked to his left. His cinnamon colored eyes locked with his father's and it was like a jolt of realization slapped him right on the forehead. Ichigo's expression went from surprised to angry then to nervous and somewhat scared.

Grimmjow couldn't blame him though, Isshin looked downright enraged. He'd heard that the king was usually pretty ditzy and joked around a bit too much, but this wasn't that same King. The cat standing before them looked tall, powerful, sturdy, and stern.

**'**_**This**__ is the animal tha' killed my family_.'

"I thought we'd lost you." He spoke to his son. "No more hunts for you. Not ever."

Ichigo's ears folded back angrily and his tail bristled.

"That's not fair, dad, wh—"

"And you." Isshin continued, shifting his piercing gaze to the blue-haired panther. "Why did you save my son? What sort of repayment did you hope to gain?"

The panther growled at the challenging look he received, but he quickly reined his anger, because this could be his one chance to get close to his prey.

"I think it's only fair tha' ya let me join your family." Grimmjow said, surprising the others. The panther peeked down to see Ichigo's reaction and he had to stop his tail from curling happily when he saw the tiger's large grin.

"Never! You're an Espada! Loyal to that bastard, Aizen!" It was the redhead again. His shoulders were raised and his teeth were bared balefully.

"But he _did_ save Ichigo." The black lynx said, trying to reason with the frazzled tiger.

_'How ironic… the feline we tried to capture is on my side…_'

The redhead wasn't the only one that didn't trust him though. He was still getting those harsh glares that were burning holes in him.

"My loyalty lies with no one a' the moment." Grimmjow explained, trying to gain their trust, and the more he talked, the more they started to relax. "Give me a chance ta fit in. I've done nothin' wrong 'cept been trapped within Aizen's claws all these years."

Isshin's shoulders sagged and his expression morphed into one of guilt, making many do the same. The redhead was the only one left glaring.

"Fine. But if I see you as a threat to my family even _once_… then you'll wish you'd stayed with Aizen."

That was all he said before turning around and walking towards home, and, one by one, the others reluctantly followed. The redhead hissed at him before disappearing as well.

Grimmjow smirked wickedly at the thought of killing that red tiger right after he finished beheading the king.

"Did you really mean all of that…?" Ichigo whispered, catching Grimmjow's attention.

"What?"

"When you said you were trapped with Aizen and you wanted to join my family… did you mean it?"

Grimmjow had to look away from those wide, hopeful eyes, before he was overwhelmed with shame. The longer he stayed silent, the more depressed Ichigo got. Just as the tiger was about to look away, his ears perked when he heard Grimmjow sigh.

"Yes."

Ichigo instantly started purring up a storm and he buried his face against the panther's neck, making him completely miss the look of guilt that crossed Grimmjow's face.

...**TBC**...

_This is Unbeta'd. I will replace it with a edited version when my lovely Beta finishes 3_

So please be patient with any grammatical errors and such...

I'm sure some of you Lion King fans out there recognize one or two of the lins i put in there  
BAHAHAH!  
And I now... I'm such a tease...  
But I don't want them to do the naughty just yet

:'D

If you guys have any questions, then don't hesitate to ask!  
And if you see any mistakes then please point them out


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